Once Lost Will Be Found
by AFangirlofSorts
Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance
1. Chapter 1

**First Voltron story. Ever since I saw fanart of Lance as an Altean I've been kind of obsessed with the idea. Since there are not enough stories like this, I had to write my own. This takes place in season 2, after the depths episode.**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

It had only been a couple of minutes since all the paladins and their lions were on board and unharmed, but it was a welcomed relief to them all. Shiro had refused to get into the healing pod until Lance and Hunk were found, he intended to help in whatever way he could or at least be awake when they arrived so he could know they were alright. As soon as Hunk and Lance were brought back on board the castle did he finally enter the healing pod to the relief of his paladins.

Shiro has been out of the pod for the past hour. He and Allura were currently sitting in the common room of the castle, Lance and Keith were sitting on the couch opposite of them with Pidge at their feet. Hunk was sitting by Coran on the couch with their backs to the doors. After the high stakes and intense pressure of the incidents from before, they all needed a little bit of time to decompress.

They were all dressed in their sleep wear, Shiro and Keith in simple black shirts, but differing black and white pants. Lance wore pale blue pants and short sleeve shirt, Hunk in a forest green shirt and black basketball shorts while Pidge was dressed in a large green t shirt and black leggings. Allura was in a nightgown, though it looked too nice to the paladins to be considered pajamas. A good ten minute argument over whether or not her dress was actually a nightgown had gone on. Coran wore the same pants he always did, but a white button up long sleeve loose fitting shirt. All in all, the group was relaxing and enjoying the peace.

Allura and Coran seemed to be handling the aftermath of their predicament well, the same could not be entirely said for the paladins. Pidge hated being alone out there, with no one with her to keep her on task or to keep her any form of company. The idea of dying out there, of never being found and never continuing her search for her family sent chills down her spine. She played it off well enough though and knew she would be fine. Lance and Hunk, despite their nonchalance and joking attitude towards the mermaid civilization they encountered, were spooked. The mind control aspect of the endeavor had left them uneasy. There was no telling who else out there could accomplish something like that, who could control anyone just like that. Neither of them wanted to come into contact with any other underwater city again.

Keith was surprised with himself, he had felt so sure that he and Shiro would be okay, yet at the same time he was terrified that he could be wrong. That the two of them wouldn't make it, or worse Shiro wouldn't make it and Keith would be alone out there waiting. He forced the thoughts aside though, he had to focus on what was in front of him and not on the what if's.

Conversation had flowed fairly easily between them, Allura and Hunk had even started to make some treats and drinks for them all. Everything was nice. It wasn't until Lance started to tug at the necklace he constantly wore that things took a sharp turn. Allura had set the tray of snacks down on the table in the center and about to place the pitcher of drink Hunk had put together when she noticed Lance fiddling with something around his neck.

Curiously, she asked, "What do you have there Lance?"

The teen stopped his side conversation to answer the princess, "It's just a necklace my parents gave me when I was younger."

Pidge looked up at Lance, "That's sweet. Do you always wear it?"

Lance nodded, "I never take it off."

Shiro commented, "And you haven't lost it."

Lance grinned, "I know right. Guess I'm just lucky that way."

Keith scoffed at that, but made no verbal remark.

"Can I see it," Allura asked, pointing to his hand hiding the pendant.

"Sure," Lance said.

He turned his hand around allowing Allura and Pidge a clear view of the pendant. Keith was pretending to be focused on Hunk and Coran's conversation, but he was looking at the necklace with curiosity. Shiro would have stood up to see the necklace, but his side was still aching making movement difficult. He would see it after Lance had showed the others.

Connected to a leather string with blue and silver beads was a pendant shaped similar to an arrowhead, but a bit wider and stretched out. The pendant itself was ocean blue and it would shimmer like waves if turned at various angles. A carving of a silver carving of a dolphin could be seen, its body curled around a the gold outline of a crown in the center. On the back part were random gold lines that Lance never paid much attention to, his focus was usually on the front side. His parents never told him where they got the necklace from, only that it was his and no one else's. He usually never questioned it, after all it was his and that was all that mattered to him.

Pidge was in awe of it, "Wow. That'-"

Pidge didn't get the chance to finish her sentence because the sound of shattering glass and a spray of liquid caused her to be quiet. Allura had dropped the pitcher onto the table, breaking the pitcher and soaking the treats. Before anyone could react, Allura had reached out and all but ripped the necklace off of Lance and stepped away from the mess.

Lance could only blink at her in surprise. No one touched his necklace, he would never let any of his sisters touch it. The only one who was allowed to do anything with his necklace was Lance himself. If anyone so much as breathed on his necklace the wrong way, then he would get angry. He didn't understand his strong attachment to the object, but he supposed it was because it was special.

"I'll get napkins," Hunk volunteered.

"I'll help," Shiro offered getting on his feet a bit shakily.

Pidge and Keith started to clean the glass, while Lance watched as Allura held his necklace. Lance stepped over the mess and moved over to Allura, who was cradling the necklace in her hands. Why she had taken it so suddenly was beyond Lance and the others were preoccupied cleaning the mess to really pay attention to what was going on between the blue paladin and princess. Allura only turned away from him, keeping the necklace out of his reach as she continued to stare at it. Lance narrowed his eyes at the princess as she stared at the necklace in her hands. It belonged to him, he saw no reason for her to take it off of him without warning and then refuse to give it back.

"Allura," Lance said, his voice torn between dark and concerned.

She barely glanced at him, but he could see her eyes were shimmering. He wondered if he was imagining that.

"Coran, come look at this," Allura said breathless, a look of awe and sorrow on her face as she continued to gingerly hold the necklace.

The royal advisor lifted his gaze to look at the princess across the way, her eyes still in her hands. He saw her tense up while talking with Lance and made no comment only to look away and suddenly glass is everywhere. He figured perhaps Lance had just startled her. Maybe there was more to it. Coran moved over to the princess to see what was in her hands.

"What do you have there," asked Coran as he stood beside her.

His own eyes widened at the sight of it, it had been many years since had last seen this necklace, even longer since he had seen the wearer of the trinket.

"I don't believe my eyes," Coran said, his eyes still focused on the necklace, "It- wow."

Pidge looked up at Coran while Keith continued to clean the glass off the floor and table while Hunk wiped up the liquid.

"It's a really nice necklace," Pidge said.

"Guess Allura liked it so much she dropped the pitcher," commented Keith as he put all the glass in a container Shiro brought over.

Lance shrugged, "I could have just shown Coran. You didn't have to take it, can I have it back now? Please."

Allura took a step back from him, the action did not go unnoticed by the other paladins. Their curiosity had peaked now, each of them with their own questions as to what was going on with the princess. Allura stood their, her eyes shining with unshed tears of anger and sorrow. It was not often that the princess was not in control of her emotions, to see her usual regal facade crack was a bit unnerving for the Paladins. Lance didn't understand why she was upset over the necklace, it wasn't like he took it from her. The other Paladins gathered around now, the mess forgotten.

"What's going on," Shiro questioned, confused and a bit concerned, "What happened?"

Lance shrugged, "Allura wanted to see my necklace and when I showed her she freaked out and took it. I'd still like it back."

Allura only stared at Lance for a few moments, unsure of how to proceed. Her fingers tightened around the pendant, the first clue to finding the one she loved most in this universe.

"Where did you get this necklace," Allura questioned, her voice becoming thick with emotion, "I demand to know."

Lance crossed his arms over his chest, he had no idea why she would ask that question or really demand it. Besides he already told her and the others where the necklace came from. Not to mention, the amount of emotion she was showing was beyond anything she had ever shown before. Sure they had seen her angry or upset, but not to this level.

His eyes narrowing further, "I told you, my parents have to me when I was little. It's mine."

Coran had been staring at Lance. If the others weren't mistaken, it was as if Coran was seeing Lance for the first time.

"Are you certain this necklace belongs to you," Coran asked softly.

Lance nodded sharply, "Yes. It's mine. I've had it for as long s I can remember. Why are you asking?"

"This is an Altean ceremonial necklace. It was bestowed upon the first born son of King Alfor and Queen Casserena," explained Coran somberly, "It belongs to the prince of Altea."

"It belongs—belonged to my brother, Casimir. My father sent him away shortly before I was in the cryo-pods…" Allura stopped in her tracks, her throat tightening.

When she awoke to the news of her fallen planet and deceased father, she knew her brother was gone. She knew that she would never see him again, his twinkling eyes, bright smile or mischievous nature were lost forever. But maybe she was wrong.

"You never mentioned you had a younger brother," commented Pidge sadly.

Coran placed a hand on Allura's shoulder as she said, "I didn't want to think about it. If he wasn't here when I awoke, I knew he-he must be gone. I-I assumed after all this time I was searching for a story… but you have his necklace."

All eyes fell onto Lance who, for the first time, looked uncomfortable from the attention. He had no idea what to say about this or how to respond. All he wanted was to have his necklace back on him and out of the others sight.

"So what are you saying," Hunk questioned, even though they all knew what the alteans were getting at.

"That leaves only two possible explanations as to why you would have his necklace," Allura went on, her bottom lip trembling slightly, "Either Casimir died on your planet and the necklace came in your possession or…"

"It could very well be that Lance is Casimir, the lost prince of Altea," Coran finished for her.

A wave of shock washed over the paladins, Lance most of all.

"What," said Lance, slightly horrified by the idea.

"Lance, Altean," Keith said an eyebrow raised.

"Is that even possible," Pidge questioned, "I mean then he'd have to be over ten thousand years old."

"Unless he was sent to earth via one of the cryo-pods similar to the ones in the castle," Hunk commented softly.

Lance shook his head, he didn't like this at all. He wanted the conversation to end, he wanted to pretend this wasn't real. For all his talk of it being cool being an alien, he didn't actually want to be one.

"No," Lance said sharply, "no, I don't buy it. I'm not Altean, let alone the prince."

"Lance," Shiro started, but Lance cut him off.

"No, no, no, no, no, and no," Lance interrupted, "It's impossible. I'm not adopted, I'm a human who was born sixteen years ago. Not over ten thousand."

"Like Hunk said, it could be that you were sent away in a cryo pod," Coran replied thoughtfully.

"What about his appearance, he doesn't look Altean and has none of your markings," Keith pointed out.

"Either King Alfor altered his appearance with a spell or the dna from the people who found him entered the pod during the awakening process," supplied Coran.

Allura stared at Lance, "Those are the only two reasons. You have his necklace, he would never part with this necklace. It meant so much to him, he would never let anyone near it. Only himself."

Lance ignored the fact that he never let anyone near his necklaces. His usual carefree and goofy attitude was gone st this point. He looked frantic and aggravated as far as the paladins could tell. And none of them could blame him.

He snatched the necklace from Allura, "I'm not listening to this anymore. Scrap your second theory, it's wrong."

"Could either of you find out where his pod went to," Shiro asked the two confirmed alteans in the room.

Coran shook his head, "Afraid not. King Alfor erased all information on any pods he sent away, we have no way of knowing where he sent anything to."

"Maybe a blood test then," Pidge suggested.

Hunk asked, "Do you have any form of a blood or DNA test? Or a scan of some kind?"

"We don't need one," Lance said bitterly.

Coran answered, "We do have a form of one, it's quick and would give us a result in a couple of ticks."

"No," Lance all but growled out.

Seeing the usually laid back Paladin so angry was enough to give everyone pause. Lance was not pleased by this conversation in the least and wanted it to end now.

"I'm not doing this, I don't need some test to know you're wrong," Lance said coldly.

Keith spoke just as sharply, "Lance, just do the test."

Lance folded his arms, "No. I'm not entertaining this idea. If she's right, and she's not, that means everything I have ever known is a lie."

"One step at a time," Keith said simply, "The test, it's short and will give all of us an answer. The sooner we know you aren't the missing Altean, the sooner we can search elsewhere."

Lance didn't say anything. Everyone could tell he did not want to do this. The idea was starting to terrify Lance more than he cared to admit, but he was still firm in his belief it was mistake. Yet part of him wondered if Allura could be right.

"I've been wondering for so long what happened to him," Allura said a bit hoarsely, "Please Lance. If I can narrow my search for him at all, I have to do it. This will help me get closer to finding out what happened, so please."

Allura could not waste this chance, this was the closest she had come to finding any answers to what happened to Casimir. She had to know the truth, she had to find him or at least learn what happened to him. Lance stared at Allura for a moment. He knew he couldn't deny her this, she had already lost everything. If there was hope of finding her brother or giving her closure about what happened to him, he would help her. He had to.

He took a breath, "Fine. Let's get this over with."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

Chapter Two

Coran lead them all to the pods down below in the end bay, where Shiro had been hours before. The royal advisor stood before a podium typing on a keypad as two pods glowed blue to signify they were ready.

"It's simple, you both just stand inside one and I run a scan," Coran explained as he typed away on the keyboard, "Once the scan is done, you two step out and hear the results."

Lance hadn't said a word since he reluctantly agreed to this test. His thoughts were racing and his emotions were an endless swirl of anger and fear. He was angry to even consider the possibility and afraid that Allura was right, that he was the missing Altean prince. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, gripping his jacket tight enough for his warm knuckles to turn a shade paler.

The paladins all noticed the tension building in the Lance the longer it took for Coran to set up the test. Allura had noticed as well, but she was too wrapped up in her thoughts to take it into consideration. The very possibility that her brother was alive and next to her was enough to make her heart hammer away inside her. It terrified her and excited her all at once, but she knew she couldn't bring her hopes up.

It was also incredibly possible that Lance acquired the necklace simply because his parents found it. Or perhaps when Casimir landed, he made a life for himself and started a bloodline of his own. Allura wasn't sure which she preferred really, she definitely wanted him alive, but she wondered if it would be for the best that he was gone. Then he would no longer have to suffer, then he would not have to continue in this fight. He always wanted to fight for something, for Altea.

"All set," Coran said as the two pods opened, "Each of you step inside and I'll start the scan."

Allura glanced at Lance, wondering if he would still go through with this. He didn't look at her, but he knew she was watching him. Without a word, he walked forward and stepped inside the pod on the right. Lance turned around as the glass closed him inside the pod. While he had been in these before, he was not their biggest fan. First reason because he was trapped in one once and almost frozen, the second because he had to be healed in here. Neither of those were terribly pleasant.

Allura stepped in the pod beside him, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. The glass closed over her as she faced the others. She couldn't hear anything they were saying, no matter how hard she concentrated and she couldn't their lips. The pods glowed white, air rushed up from their feet whipping their hair around a bit. The lights flickered a couple of times, signaling that the scan was taking place.

After each flicker, Allura felt the tension build in her and the fear. Lance felt the same, each flicker caused his chest to feel heavier and grow tighter. He knew it wasn't from the actual pod, only his nervousness was setting him over the edge. Lance swallowed. He really, really, really, hoped that Allura was wrong. One so that he could be right for once and two so he wouldn't have to deal with this relation. The lights faded away, a few moments passed before the glass opened allowing Allura and Lance to exit the pods.

"Well," Allura asked expectantly and nervous.

He took their silence as a good sign. Lance folded his arms, he felt a bit triumphant at this moment, but sorry that Allura was let down. He didn't want to be the cause of her sorrow.

"It's almost done loading," Coran said, his eyes focused on the screen.

Lance felt like a deflated balloon, their silence was because they were waiting, not because he was right. He felt his stomach sink the longer this went on. Allura wasn't sure exactly how to feel at this point, whether or not she should be excited or nervous. Allura and Lance could see the light on their teams face hangs.

It went from white to purple. It flashed against their faces, but none of them offered any words. The paladins expressions didn't help Allura or Lance when it came to figuring out what the screen said. Lance wondered if it was because they most likely couldn't read the language. Pidge was still learning, but her face wasn't giving anything away.

Coran looked up at Allura, then at Lance, "It's a match, his DNA is an exact copy of Prince Casimir's, but with a few human chromises added, I assume those are from his parents on earth."

Lance's shoulders fell, his heart stopped beating in his chest and he forgot how to breath. _Altean Prince Casimir_. This had to be some kind of sick joke or horrible dream. All Lance could see were flashes of his parents on earth, of their smiles and caring for him. He could see his sister teasing him, he could see himself playing with them. How could they not be his family? Why didn't his parents ever tell him he wasn't theirs? That he showed up like Superman had in the comics. His chest ached and head started pounding.

"Lance is Altean," said Hunk in awe.

"A prince," said Keith.

Allura turned to face Lance, he looked at her, his eyes showed how horrified he was. His expression a mix between afraid and angry. His shoulders were trembling, his blue eyes were frantic as he struggled to process the news. Altean, he was Altean.

"Lance," Allura started, but he wasn't listening.

This couldn't be true, he couldn't be, how could he be. His parents on earth, his sisters back home… they weren't really his. Had they ever been? No, he supposed not. Lance felt his breath quicken, it was the only noise the others could hear beside the quiet hum of the podium that Coran was once at.

Lance pulled the necklace off of him, he clenched his fist around the pendant that used to be his source of his hope, his connection to his family. Now it was a source of a life he didn't want to know, of a truth he wished wasn't real. Allura could clearly the turmoil in his watery eyes, his once bright eyes had dimmed. He threw the necklace onto the floor and turned sharply away, running out of the room. His feet carrying him as fast as he could will then to move.

Allura watched as the necklace clattered on the white floor while the others called his name.

No one moved to follow Lance, no one was sure who should go after him and talk him down. Shiro seemed like a viable choice as he was the bet at handling these sort of situations, but Hunk was closest to Lance and had been his friend for a long time. Keith always knew what to say to Lance to get him to either step back or step forward while Pidge was a good listener. Coran was good at talking to him and the two had a fair relationship, but they were certain that Lance probably didn't want to see either of the Alteans at this time.

Allura wanted to speak with him, to ask him questions, to help him, but she was powerless. He may have been her lost brother, but he had no memory of her. Allura got on her knees and picked up the forgotten necklace. The stone was cool against her warm fingers.

Tears built up in her eyes, "Oh Cas…"

The paladins and Coran stopped their bickering on trying to decide who should speak to Lance when they noticed Allura kneeling on the floor. While Coran could hardly believe the prince was alive, he knew the revelation was groundbreaking for the princess. Coran moved over to Allura, his heart aching at the sight of her trembling shoulders and choked back cries.

He kneeled beside her with one hand on her shoulder, "Princess?"

Allura looked up at him, clutching th necklace to her chest, "He's alive. After-after all this time, he's alive and he doesn't know me, doesn't remember me…. his whole world has been changed."

"Perhaps, but now he knows the truth," Coran said, "One way or another, the truth would have come to light. It just happened now."

"Now we can focus on what happened in the missing time, or learn something about how he managed to survive all this time, how to retrieve is memories," Keith added a bit hurriedly.

"We hopefully have some time before we're called to an emergency, I suggest we use it to find those answers," Shiro said.

"In the meantime, who's going to talk to him," Hunk asked glancing between the group.

Allura released a sad sigh, "I know I'm the last person he wants to see, but…"

"Maybe it should be you then," Pidge suggested, "After all, this mainly affects the two of you."

"The situation is already unfamiliar enough to him," commented Keith, "Someone he's more comfortable with should be there. I say it's Hunk or Shiro."

Before anyone else could say anything, a brief alert went through the castle. A lion had just taken off.

"The blue lion," Keith said, "Lance is running off."

"Paladins, let's move," ordered Shiro, "We have to make sure Lance doesn't go to far."

* * *

Lance had found himself in front of blue, he had no idea where he was going and just found himself here. The lion purred in his mind, a question filling the air. Lance's felt his shoulders slump, his breathing still ragged from running and from the cries he struggled to hold back.

He clenched his fists, whether from sorrow or anger, he wasn't sure. His tan cheeks were a shade paler and a pinkish glow could be seen on them, his eyes red rimmed as he continue to stare at his lion. The same puzzling feelings came off the lion in waves. The lions were alive in their own way, once bonded with a lion they could share their feelings through a telepathic bond. While Lance was sending waves of anger, sadness and fear, Blue was sending concern and comfort his way.

His right hand reached up to where his necklace usually was, the absence sent a pang of emptiness through him. His hand clenched into a fist. That necklace meant everything to him, now the thought of it sent a sharp stab in his heart. He lowered his hand slowly back to his side.

"We're going on a ride Blue," Lance said decidedly, "I need to get out of here."

He entered Blue and started his regular take off procedure before leaving the hangar. Blue sent waves of uncertainty and reluctance, but decided not to stop her paladin from trying to leave. She could tell he was in a lot of pain, he needed the escape.

* * *

Hours had passed since the Paladins had left on their search or really chase of Lance. They found him easily enough, but then he continued to run off. The Red Lion was the only one to catch up to him, but Blue was lost in an asteroid field. The Paladins has split up searching, but the signature was hidden.

Finding Lance would be much harder with Blue hiding her signature from the others. Coran was currently running through possible routes of the Blue Lion, he was sending the other Paladins in various directions, but there was still no luck. Allura was standing at the bridge in front of the window, her arms wrapped around her stomach. She hoped that Lance would have been found by now, but she supposed she couldn't hope for too much.

"Oh Coran," Allura said turning to look at the advisor, "he's alive after all this time and he wants nothing to do with me. He doesn't even remember me."

Coran frowned, "I know it's difficult princess, but don't worry. Once Lance has been found and has settled down a bit, it will all be okay."

"How can you be so sure," Allura said dejectedly.

"If the universe brought him back to you after a thousand decafobes, it's clear to see that there's nothing the two of you can not overcome," Coran said with a gentle smile.

He could still remember all the troubles those two either caused, got into or has to deal with do to their royal blood. They were quite the force to be reckoned with when they were younger, Coran could hardly imagine what they would become.

"What if we don't, what if he doesn't want to work with this or acknowledge it," said Allura sadly, "What if I've found him only to lose him again? What if he hates me now? What if-"

"You could asked yourself 'what if's' until we're all long gone," Coran interrupted with a knowing look.

Allura turned back to look at the stars, "What do I do Coran? I need to find him, I need him to remember… what if we don't find him or he doesn't want to remember?"

Coran released a soft sigh, "He was always good at playing hide and seek, but you were very good at finding him when no one else could. You'll find him. As for him not wanting to remember… If that's the case, leave the past in the past and look to a future with him."

Allura nodded wordlessly, still staring at the stars when an old memory flashed through her mind.

" _I'm the best hide and seeker," said Casimir, "I have the best hiding spots and always know where other people are going to look."_

 _"That's quite a talent," Allura commented grinning._

 _Casimir nodded, "Indeed. You have to use magic to find me, don't you?"_

 _Allura answered, "Always. I can never find you without a bit of help."_

 _Casimir laughed triumphantly_.

Allura gasped, "Of course."

She could always find Casimir through magic, he always knew where to hide and not be found, but a trail of magic would lead her to him. The princess closed her eyes and concentrated. In order to find him, she had to think of him. While she wanted to think of her younger brother, his trail was mostly weak and no guarantee it would be shown. She had to think of Lance.

She recalled the time he was braiding her hair, he was talking about his sister's and how they taught him. He became very good at it and it was a hobby of his. The darkness of her eyelids began to fill with dots like stars before they came together and turned into an image.

A vision of Lance was sitting in Blue, looking out the windows. It worked! She could see him, she could find him. All that was left was a location. She looked around the cockpit of the lion and found his location on the Blue Lions monitor.

Allura opened her eyes, she went over to Coran.

"I know where Lance is," Allura said, she spoke into the comms as she typed the location, "Paladins, I've found Lance. Meet at these coordinates."

"We're on it," answered Shiro, he looked at the coordinates she sent, "ETA, twenty minutes. See you soon."

Allura knew she'd get to Lance first, she supposed that would work. Talking to him about what happened. Without wasting another moment, she moved to the steering position and sent the castle in Lance's direction. It took her under five minutes to find Lance, she knew he spotted the tower as the lion was facing the castle. But he wasn't flying away, only hovering. Allura connected to the Lion's comm which to her surprise was open.

"Lance," she said hesitantly.

She was greeted with only silence.

"Lance, please answer," Allura said sadly, "I know you're upset, but you cannot run from this."

Again, only silence and soft hum of static greeted the princess. Allura sighed, she didn't know what to do. What could she possibly say to Lance? How was she going to convince him to talk? She was the last person he wanted to see, but she had to be the one to talk him down, to bring him back. He was her brother, he was her friend and he was in pain.

"I thought, I thought you were dead, that you were gone," Allura started, her lips trembling, "I remember when you born. You were so little…. brilliant blue eyes, a scruff of pale blue hair…. I know this-this is hard and you don't remember and you are lost, but please you cannot run away. Nothing has to change."

Lance's face materialized on the screen at that. His eyes were the same as Allura saw in the image minutes ago. Red rimmed, glazed over. His face set in the saddest expression Allura and Coran had ever seen on him. It looked so out of character, it was enough to send even more worry through the Alteans before the screen.

"Everything has changed," Lance said, his voice raised, "You're telling me that the discovery of being an Altean and your long lost brother is not going to change anything? That this revelation won't change things?!"

"It doesn't have to," Allura insisted albeit sadly.

She hoped that if she ever found her brother that they would pick up where they left off, that they would catch up and grow. She supposed that wasn't going to happen, not if it was going to cause Lance anymore pain. Despite her want to know him more, to want that relationship back, she knew that if Lance was to return and stay in the right frame of mind, she couldn't push him.

Lance glared, "It changes it all. How am I supposed to pretend what you said isn't true? That I'm an-an Altean prince who was born over ten thousand years ago! How are you supposed to pretend that we didn't learn anything? That we didn't find the truth! Neither of us will let it go and the others won't see us the same! Ah. This is a nightmare."

Lance jumped out of his seat angrily. He swung his arm as though he intended to hit his chair, but he stopped short. He couldn't hit blue, no matter how upset he was. Angrily he let his hand fall to his side as he turned away from the screen, angry tears building in his eyes.

Allura took a gamble and sent a wave of warmth and peace to him, an old bond of magic that the two had formed when Casimir had been an infant. She hoped it was still there, she hoped it would help. Allura thought of waves, of the tides and currents, a sense of calm curled around her and sent the feeling through the bond that was thin as three. She knew the moment it reached him that he felt it. He jerked in his spot on the screen in surprise.

He snapped his head to look at her on his own monitor, the shock visible on his face. The teen could feel feelings of peace and warmth curling around him. As if he were standing on a beach. It was similar to Blue's calm waves, but it was much weaker and felt unsteady. As if it was an old tool that hadn't been used in a longtime.

"Lance, please come back to the castle," Allura pleaded her words coated in desperation, "I know you do not see me as your sister, but you are my brother by blood and my friend. I remember you, all of the good and bad times we shared as Lance and as Casimir. I've lost you once, please, I beg that you don't have me lose you again."

Lance stared at Allura hesitantly. He looked torn between wanting to scream and wanting to cry. It was the first time Allura had ever seen Lance look so helpless and lost. The teen always had an air of self assurance with himself, that even if he was a bit lost he knew which way to go in order to get where he needed.

Lance's image disappeared and Allura nearly choked in surprise at the sudden feeling of loss. Did that mean he was going to leave? Was he not going to at least let them talk this out? Before Allura could do anything, she noticed on the castle's censors in front of Coran showed an incoming ship, the blue lion.

"He's coming in," Coran announced, a grin on his face, "I'll alert the other Paladins."

"Cas," Allura whispered softly, "Thank the stars."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey all, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I've fallen behind on my writing and have lost some motivation, but rest assured, I have the next two chapters written and just in need of revising before being posted. See you again in two weeks!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Lance had just exited Blue to see Coran waiting for him at the end of the hangar. The teen did not want to see anyone from his team, not the Paladins and definitely not the Alteans. He just wanted to be alone and hide somewhere in the castle, like in his room or in a place where no one could find him. Most of the time he enjoyed the company of others. Being around people always made him feel happy and full of energy, like he could do anything. Especially when people smiled around him, it was the best feeling next to flying and fighting of course.

"Quite the scare you gave us," Coran said with a grin, "Now I know I'm not someone you want to see now, but I wanted to say something."

Lance stayed in his spot at the end of Blue's ramp, he would have rathered walk away and not listen, but that would be rude. Besides, he knew Coran only wanted to help. Lance dipped his head slightly, a sign for the Altean to continue with whatever he wanted to say. The teen wasn't in the mood for talking. He didn't trust himself to speak, not to mention his throat was burning from the yelling he had done to Blue. Screaming about how angry and afraid he was. She was a good listener after all, she let him vent the entire time until he was calm.

Coran offered him a small smile, "You are experiencing a lot of emotions now, we won't expect you to be seen around this evening. However later on, I ask that you come to the planetarium. Allura and I will be there, we want to talk to you… you may not remember us, but we remember Casimir, we remember you."

Lance looked away at the use of the other name, he knew he wasn't going to get used to it anytime soon. He preferred to stay Lance, earth boy, designated class clown, shameless flirt and Cuban. It was who he was, not some alien prince.

"I watched King Alfor take you away all those years ago during the attack," said Coran sadly, "I ask that you don't run away from Allura and I. For us and for you, come to the planetarium tonight. There's much to talk about."

Lance looked at Coran and said hoarsely, "I don't want to know anything. I'm sorry Coran, but I'm not Casimir. Regardless of what your scan says, whoever he was, died."

"Not true, as long as you breathe, Casimir is alive," Coran said a bit earnest.

"I don't remember anything," Lance said.

Coran replied, "So let us show you the memories, maybe not today as it's been chaos for everyone, but eventually. Let us try to get those memories back."

Lance answered with an annoyed look, "I don't want them. Everything I've ever known is a lie…"

"No Lance, you're beginning may not be what you thought, but your life on earth, the family you have is still yours regardless of the blood or not," said Coran, "You have your family, we know this, but we hope you will one day let us be apart of it."

Lance said nothing. He didn't want the memories back, he wanted to forget this entire day, to pretend that this didn't happen. The teen nearly said as much to Coran, but he decided against it. Instead he walked away from the Altean and went off to hide.

Coran released a sigh. He hoped maybe he could convince Lance to come to the planetarium as it was Casimir's favorite place in the castle and it would give Allura a chance to speak with him. There was much to be said, but even Coran was uncertain if what else they could discuss. If Lance did not want to know of the past, of what happened, or Altea, then what could be said other than the fact that Allura missed him and loved him. Coran sighed. The other Paladins would be back soon enough with questions and concerns about Lance. Coran decided he better head upstairs so the princess wouldn't have to deal with them on her own.

* * *

Dinner was quiet that night, the empty seat left a bad taste for the others. Lance hadn't been seen by the Paladins and Allura since he took off running. The Paladins knew he was here because they saw the Blue Lion and Coran said he spoke to the missing Paladin. Coran didn't tell them what they talked about, only that Lance just needed more time and most likely would not make an appearance at dinner, which was served hardly fifteen minutes after the Paladins arrived.

Keith had been angered by Lance not even bothering to come down, he figured after Lance had spent hours hiding and running that would be enough time to cool off. The red Paladin wanted to go and find Lance, but Shiro kept him at bay. Lance would come when he was ready. None of them had experience with Lance when he was like this, it was important that they wait to see what he does.

"I can't take this," Pidge said suddenly, "Someone should go see him. He was gone all day and now he hasn't come out of hiding place to see us."

"We need to wait for him to come to us, we don't want to pressure him," Shiro said knowingly.

Hunk frowned, "Shouldn't we at least check on him, make sure he's doing alright. Maybe bring him some food, he might be hungry, I know I'd be hungry after not eating all that time. Heck I'm hungry thinking about it."

"They're right, we can't just sit around while he's hiding out," Keith said, "Come on Shiro, we've waited long enough. It's time we go to him."

Shiro thought about it for a moment. Though he wasn't exactly sure, he knew that Lance had been hidden away for too long. It was unlike the Blue Paladin to hide from something, he usually was willing to go against whatever was coming his way. Sometimes he could be hesitant about it, but he would still try. Shiro glanced at Coran and Allura, a silent question. Coran answered with the briefest of nods, a signal to go ahead and find him. He shouldn't be alone any longer.

"Very well," Shiro said, "The three of you can start looking around, I'll join you in a moment."

"You can save your time if you start over here," said the one in question.

The Paladins and Alteans looked at Lance in surprise. He was leaning against the door frame wearing his usual attire, arms folded over his chest and a soft smile on his face. If they didn't know any better, they wouldn't have been able to tell that the shattering news had been revealed hours before. That he had a near mental break down.

"Lance," Pidge shouted, "We've been worried about you. Are you feeling better?"

Lance's gaze flickered to Coran and Allura, he met their stares for the briefest of moments. It passed so quickly neither Allura or Coran were certain that they he made eye contact at all.

"I'm doing alright, sorry for the scare, but hey," Lance said with a grin and shrug as he walked over, "Proved you guys would miss me."

Keith rolled his eyes, "Unfortunately."

Lance smirked at him.

Shiro spoke next, "Glad you feel well enough to join us. Are you hungry?"

"I made you a plate," added Hunk grinning.

Lance hesitated, "I could use a bite."

He wasn't in the mood to eat, he hadn't wanted to come down here at all. However he knew that he couldn't hide from them forever, it was better he bite the bullet now. Neither Coran or Allura said anything to Lance at first, both were unsure what to say. Allura couldn't trust herself not slip up on his name. While she still saw him as Lance, she also saw him as Casimir.

She could practically see all of Casimir's features in Lance now. The nose, the clear eyes, mischievous smile. It was all staring back at her and she never noticed, she never saw it. Either because the idea was preposterous before or because she didn't want to see it. When Allura had first met the Paladins, she thought Lance looked familiar. She replayed the brief conversation in her mind.

 _It's the funniest thing, I swear you look like someone I know. Lance shrugged, I get that a lot. I hear I just have one of those faces. One of those faces,_ Allura thought.

She looked at Lance, he was talking animatedly to the others, but for some reason she thought it looked forced. As though he were pretending. She supposed that made sense. When he came down, he didn't look all the way right. He must have still been shaken from the news, more so than he would admit. Not to mention she could feel him radiating confusion and unease. Lance could practically feel Allura's gaze on him as if she had laser eyes and was burning holes through him. Of course he made it seem like he didn't notice, but her gaze and presence were the ones that stood out to him like a beacon of light.

 _Sister._ He already had sisters back home and two brothers. Knowing he had a another sister was strange, especially since this sister was an alien princess. Well he was now an alien or half alien since Coran said he had chromothings from his parents on earth. Parents… he thought of his Mamita and Papa. Their smiling faces, humorous nature's. He missed them and would look at his necklace as a reminder of them, as if they were closer than wormholes away.

Then he thought of the image of King Alfor, Allura's father. A king was his birth father. The man had the same skin as Allura and hair, but their eyes were different. Lance briefly wondered if the Kings eyes were like his own. He hadn't seen any pictures of the queen, but suddenly he felt the desire to find a picture. He glanced at Allura, he figured the queen would look exactly like her if not very similar.

Lance tried to keep his shoulders from slumping, but it was difficult. He felt like the gravity in the castle was working overtime on him, trying to pull him down. He had spent too much time alone and in his own thoughts, so many terrible scenarios had played through his mind. No doubt he would be dealing with nightmares later on. Once dinner had ended, Pidge and Hunk left to their own devices, per Shiro's not so subtle way of getting them out of the room.

Shiro followed their lead shortly after to rest, exhaustion pulling at him more than the others. Only the Alteans and Keith remained. Keith didn't want to leave Lance alone just yet. Out of everyone, he was the most unsure of how to help Lance through this, but he knew he wanted to. Though Lance got on his nerves more often than not, that didn't mean he wanted Lance to face this alone. Thy were teammates after all.

When Lance left the room, Keith followed.

"Hey you got a sec," Keith said coming up behind Lance.

The Cuban/ Altean teen looked back at Keith, his face slightly shaded, "Uh sure. What do you want?"

"To see how you're holding up, running off when angry is my thing," Keith said, a ghost smile on his face.

If Lance was surprised by the quip, he didn't show it. On any other day when Keith made a joke or a funny remark of any kind, Lance would always Act surprised. Shocked that the emo of the group could do anything more than brood.

Lance shrugged, "Guess I've taken notes from your book."

Keith pressed, "Did it help you? Running off?"

"Somewhat," Lance said vaguely, "Though probably won't do it again."

Keith replied with a shrug of his own, "Not for everyone. But are you okay?"

Lance didn't answer right away, he turned and said, "Okay enough. See you later Keith."

Keith watched Lance go wordlessly. Part of home wanted to follow him, but he decided it was better to leave Lance be. The blue Paladin would come around.

* * *

That night

* * *

Lance had planned to simply go to bed, but he couldn't' stop thinking about what Coran has said. He really didn't want to go to see them, but at the same time, he wanted to. Part of him was desperate to know where he really came from, to see his beginning. The other part wanted to be denial and pretend it wasn't real. Lance knew it was useless to think that way though, nothing would change this. He could either fight it or embrace it. It would be a dead end fight. He looked at his door,

"Come on Lance. Just, just go."

He sat up in bed, his hair brushing against his forehead in the draft. Images of his sisters and brother flashed across his mind, their smiling faces.

He swallowed thickly, "I'm sorry."

* * *

Planetarium

* * *

"I don't think he's going to come Coran," Allura said taking a sip of tea.

Coran glanced at her as he fixed a cup of his own, "We've hardly been here long. The tea only just became cool enough to drink."

Allura looked at the door dejectedly, he was right. The two had barely been in the room ten minutes and already Allura wasn't sure he would come. And in all honesty, she couldn't blame him. As a friend they knew each other, but as siblings they might as well be strangers. The only thing that gave Allura hope was the fact that their bond was still in tact. It was fragile, but it was there just the same and could built on. It just needed to be used more.

Through the slight connection, Allura could practically feel Lance's anxiety and sorrow. It was eating away at him and she had no way to help. She would have tried to send him calming waves, but last time she tried, he had tried to block her. His attempt was unsuccessful, but Allura could tell what he was trying to do and stopped on her own.

Allura sighed, she looked up at Coran who had taken a seat beside her on the floor. The planetarium had been made when Allura was born. It was a place for the royal family to spend time together simply looking at the universe around them. Casimir loved this place, he would always come here when he was down or just wanted to look at the planets. The windows were all made of lens, all they had to do was pick a sector and that lens would show them the area. Of course the best feature was bringing the image in front of them as holograms. Almost like having the universe in front of them.

"What do I even say to him Coran," Allura said nervously, "How am I supposed to talk to him?"

"Like he's Lance," Coran answered simply.

Allura raised an eyebrow, "Is that the best way to go about it?"

Coran nodded, "It's already unfamiliar for Lance, we should at least try to treat him the same as much as possible. Think of this like we're telling him about our story, not his."

Allura took a breath, "Alright. I'll do that. Where do you think we should start?"

"The day you lost me."

Allura jumped at the new voice, she turned around to see Lance standing in the doorway. His body language screamed that he didn't want to come in and it caused new fears to rise in the princess. However they were momentarily forgotten at the sight of him. He actually came! He was really here.

"Hello Lance," Coran greeted grinning, "Come on in. Want some tea?"

Lance shook his head as he made his way over, "No thanks."

Lance could hardly stand the smell let alone taste. Dinner had already been a pain. His appetite was ruined by his increasing anxiety. He 'felt' calming emotions come to him earlier, but he forced them away or at least he tried. They weren't his, they were hers. He didn't appreciate her trying to get in his head or whatever. It was too much for him to handle or process. However he knew she was just trying to help. If the situation was crushing for him, it was even worse for her. After all she discovers her brother is alive, but had no memory of her. She had him so close by, but even further away.

"We're glad you could make it," Coran said as the teen took a seat, "May I ask, what changed your mind? I know you didn't want to come."

Lance answered, albeit sadly, "It's true. I know that I can't deny it, but I don't embrace it. If I could remember something, maybe it would easier. If I had something else here you know? Something more than a test, maybe i'd be able to connect it… And I want to know what happened to Cas- me."

Allura and Coran shared a look. Allura hadn't seen her brother at all during the attack, she had seen him in the morning before it all happened. Though Coran had told her what happened, she wasn't there.

"I wasn't there," Allura said, "I had seen you before, not during. Coran can answer your questions better than I could."

Lance replied, "Then start there. I want to know everything that happened that day."

Allura was surprised by that considering how distant Lance wanted to be from the situation. However she took it as a sure sign that perhaps she truly would be able to rebuild something with her brother again.

"Alright, the day started like any other."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"... like any other."

 ***Flashback***

Allura had been wandering around the castle, her head clouded. The servants and warriors alike were running around the castle in a blur, their conversations a mix of commands and questions.

The princess hardly noticed it, her fears overpowering her and keeping her attention. Her father was in a meeting, word of an attack coming to Altea had been received days before leaving the castle in a frenzy like the rest of the planet's population.

All over the planet people were preparing for the worst, focusing purely on defense. Allura disagreed with this, she believed that they should bring the fight to Zarkon. Her heart clenched at the thought of him.

Zarkon had practically been family, a brother figure to her father and uncle to her, a mentor to Casimir. He had been someone they all loved and who had loved them as well, they were family.

When he died, it hurt the royal family and fellow Paladins, but his return only caused further pain. Allura still struggled to understand why he had turned away from them, how could his quest for peace turn into a grab for power. And now, he had raged war across the systems and only Altea remained a stronghold.

All other planets had fallen to the Galra's will, Allura feared it was only a matter of time before Zarkon came to Altea and took her home away. Her father allowed her to sit on several meetings so she was more or less involved in the issue or at least was aware.

"Allura," shouted a young voice.

Allura jolted in surprise, "My stars."

Her younger brother, Prince Casimir, stood expectantly at her side. He wore a fitted long sleeve teal shirt, the sleeves being loose along with flowing pants of the same make. Around his neck and hanging in his chest was a purple sash with the ends resting on stomach. His hair was long enough to brush his eyebrows and touch the back if his collar. It was stark white, but if you looked closely his hair had a tint of blue.

His arms raised over his chest, "I called you at least a hundred times, but you didn't answer. I was worried you might've become deaf."

Allura rested a hand in your chest, "I apologize, I'm a bit distracted. Though it's impolite to sneak up on people and shout at them."

Casimir sighed, clearly exasperated. The number of times his behavior was corrected or reprimanded he felt had to be more than the stars at this point in his life.

"What did you need," asked Allura, wanting to get his request or this conversation out of the way.

She was not in the mood to handle him today, not when there was so much left to do.

Casimir lowered his arms and his demeanor changed, "Why is everyone scattered and running about? I heard some servants and warriors talking, they said an attack was possible… From the Galra, Zarkon specifically. You've spoken to father within the last two days, is it true?"

Allura was torn, she wanted to lie to him and tell him there was no attack. That Zarkon wasn't the one who would be leading a likely attack on them. However she knew she couldn't lie.

He was incredibly talented at sniffing out lies, Coran believed it was do to how his magic manifested, in hide and seek. He would find the truth, regardless of whatever take she would spin.

"There is always a possibility of attack, this time there is a more likely chance of one coming," Allura said.

Casimir made a face, he hated when people would bead around the shrub and not tell him straightforward. He understood he was young, but he was still the crowned prince, he had right to know.

"Is it Zarkon," Casimir asked softly.

Allura frowned, "I-I, Casimir…"

Allura had no idea what she should say to him. How could she explain that one of the people he saw as a hero was the very person trying to destroy everything they held dear? She couldn't do it.

Looking down at him now, his expectant blue eyes and soft frown would burn into her memory. Casimir knew very little about the war, about the horrors or terrible deeds Zarkon had done. In Casimir's eyes, Zarkon was still a good person who was just in pain. No one else believed that, but no one could convince the prince otherwise.

"Go along," Allura said shortly, "I can't discuss this with you."

"Why not," Casimir asked, his brow furrowed, "Zarkon was close to both of us and I am still the prince of Altea, I have a right to know."

"Zarkon is a monster who only cares for power," snapped Allura.

"He wasn't always that way," protested Casimir.

Allura growled at him, nostrils flaring, "Don't you dare defend him! He has done horrible things, such terrible deeds. Enslaved the systems and killed hundreds of innocent, good people!"

"Zarkon was a good person," Casimir said earnestly, "There must be a reason, there must be a way to get him to stop this."

"He'll never stop, all he cares about his quintessence and Voltron. He, the Galra, are all evil," hissed Allura.

Casimir blinked at her in slight surprise, "Not all of them can be evil. Zarkon was not always the way he is. Maybe there is a way to reason with him-"

"There is no way to," Allura all but shouted at him, "Zarkon, the Galra are all horrible people who intend to destroy the universe! We need to destroy them before they can harm anyone else."

"That seems a bit extreme," Casimir said wearily.

Allura scoffed, "Of course you wouldn't understand this, you haven't gone through the Rites. You will never be a leader, you don't have it in you to do what needs to be done or know when a person is lost."

Casimir tried to hide the hurt he felt at her words, "No one is ever really lost. Zarkon, he-he was a friend. Him and Honora were family. Perhaps if all the Paladins were to go to him, to change his mind-"

Allura struggled not to scream, but she was too angry to care, "Don't you get it Casimir!"

The prince jolted in surprise at her yell. Sure she had raised her voice at him plenty of times before, but never like that. He was almost afraid of her in this moment, he didn't like the fire in her eyes.

"The Paladins are gone! Zarkon. Is. Evil! Why is that so difficult forgot to process? How could you understand when everything is sunshine and waterfalls for you? Grow up Casimir."

"That's not true, I do understand, but I don't think that more destruction is the way," replied Casimir unsteadily.

Allura glared at him, "After all he's done, he deserves to die a thousand times over. To suffer."

"Allura, this doesn't sound like you at all," said Casimir with slight fear, "I don't like it."

"I know what it takes to find peace, I know what needs to be done, it is the only way," Allura answered sharply, "Go away Casimir. You have no business knowing about what's going on, go off and do what all Spares do. Nothing of consequence."

Allura nearly choked when she realized what she had said to him, she knew she had been harsh on him earlier, but now she had crossed the line. Most rulers in this system stuck to having one child, the only reason to have another was in the case that the first born was at risk of death.

Only in past years had it become more common of this area, Casimir being one of the very few other second born royals or spares as they were often called under breathes. Not to mention as a second born, those children often were not involved with anything to do with their parents work of being a King or a Queen.

It was deemed unnecessary to do so unless of course the first born was not present, which they almost always were. Because of this, often times the second child, third and rare sight of fourth children were forgotten and trained in other ways. They would become ambassadors or generals, but never anything to deal with ruling their nation.

It was why the view of second children at times was warped, that they did not need to know such things of importance because there was no need for them. King Alfor and his wife thought differently of the matter.

They wanted a second child and would have had a third one as well if not for the chaos that came shortly after Casimir. They had Coran tutor Casimir in the ways of being a King so that he would know, not just in case of the loss of Allura, but so he would never feel second rate despite his status.

Casimir looked at the floor, but Allura could see the anger and hurt building in him.

"That was out of line," Allura acknowledged regretfully.

"You think you're so special don't you," Casimir snapped angrily, looking at her with dark eyes, "You don't know everything _first born_. I will become a great leader someday and a great warrior! My magic is strong, stronger than yours ever will be and I do know what it takes, I have what it takes! I'll go through the Rites with flying colors! I'll show you!"

Allura started, "Casimir-"

"No," shouted Casimir with watering eyes, the hurt clear, "Just, just because you were born first means nothing! You are not the only one who cares for Altea or who knows of the horrors or wishes to fight- I know of it, I will face it!"

"Casimir," Allura tried to start.

"Shut up," shouted the prince, tears slipping down his flushed cheeks, "Leave me alone, I don't, I don't want to see you!"

Without another word, Casimir took of down the hall, running as fast as his feet could carry him. Allura sighed, she would make amends with him tonight after they both settled down a bit. Little did she know then.

 **Present**

"I was cruel to you," said Allura, she looked at Lance sadly, "The last time I saw you, you were angry with me and hurt. I deserve your anger, I shouldn't have said what I had."

Though Lance couldn't remember, he felt a pang in his chest that had only grown as Allura recounted the conversation. He felt hurt by the words, like an old wound, even though he had no memory of the event or what they meant.

"Being second born was a bad thing," said Lance forlornly, "A spare huh?"

"No, it wasn't a bad thing at all," insisted Coran, "It was a relatively new concept that had only been explored or used for the last few generations before you and Allura. Your parents always made sure that you never felt like you were just a spare part."

Allura agreed, "It's true. Coran even tutored you privately on how to rule a nation while I tutored with Julea on the matter. What I said was wrong and I was angry with what was happening… I've regretted my words since I said them. I never had the chance to apologize, I'm so sorry Cas-Lance."

Lance nodded a bit absently, "Apology accepted… What is the rites? When you said it, it sounded familiar."

Coran explained, "A two part Altean ceremony. When you're an infant your path is laid ahead of you based on your heart and when you are a certain age, usually thirteen of your years, you demonstrate all you have learned based on their chosen path. The magic shows where you belong and what you will be in society."

Lance said, "Huh, that's kind of cool. What were you Allura?"

"I was a diplomat, a peacemaker, negotiator," answered Allura, "For my ceremony, I went with others of my path and we had to solve conflicts… We faced great challenges when we went through it, honestly the experience is haunting."

"Did you have to prove yourself," asked Lance curiously.

"Not Necessarily, in a way it was, but it was more to show what you have achieved and earn your place," replied Allura.

"What path was I," Lance questioned, his interest in the topic spiking.

Coran answered him, "A magician slash warrior. It flickered between the two… And interestingly enough, a lions roar could be faintly heard."

Lance blinked in surprise, "Lion, like the blue lions roar? It-It knew I would become a paladin?"

"Yes. The roar was our tip, but it was uncertain. Many of the animal workers hear the sound if an animal, however usually they hear more than one at the same time," Allura explained.

"I get it. That's still kind of cool though," Lance said with a faint smile.

He had to wonder what exactly e was capable of, if he could still do any of the magic from before. Though he was still afraid of all of this and hesitant about it, he had to admit he was kind of excited now. Learning about where he came from, where he really came from… it was like a roller coaster.

Lance looked at Coran, "Your turn Coran. What happened when you last saw me, Casimir?"

Coran frowned, his eyes downcast, "Last I saw you was during the attack."

 **Flashback**

Coran was moving through the halls at rapid speeds, he needed to get to the princess and prince as soon as possible. Neither of them had been seen, those still here feared the worst. Zarkon had captured them or the royal siblings had been killed. It was unlikely that the Galra would kill them, however considering all the fighting and bloodshed, Coran would not put it past them.

Altea was being attacked at this moment, fires burning across the planet and soldiers worked furiously to protect their world. Altea's military was one of the weaker ones considering they were a peace planet with little military funding. Now they were paying the price for it. The castle had been ordered to leave the planet in order to protect the royal bloodlines, however Zarkon was drawing near.

"Coran!"

Coran stopped in his tracks, he skidded to a halt and turned to see the young prince peering out from a hiding spot in the wall. He was always good hiding.

"Oh prince Casimir," Coran said relieved, "thank goodness you are alright."

Casimir moved from his hiding spot in the wall and ran to Coran with a slight limp. The young boy slammed into the royal advisor, his small body trembling in fear. Coran hugged Casimir, he had been so worried that the young prince was lost.

Coran said calmly, "It's alright Casimir, it's all going to be alright."

Casimir looked up at him, "How, how do you know? So-so many pe-people have been kill- killed!"

"Because we are a strong people," said Coran confidently, "We will be okay young prince. Have you seen your father? He had a plan set in motion."

Casimir shook his head, "I haven't moved from my spot, my ankle has been hurting after I was running from some Galra soldiers…. Coran, I'm, I am afraid."

"I know prince Casimir, but not to worry. We're going to get out of this alright. Let's tread carefully now and find the king and your sister."

Casimir nodded, his eyes shined with unshed tears and renewed courage. Though he would become a warrior, he was of the peaceful sort and would not fight a group he once saw as friends and family. Coran held Casimir a bit tighter, this prince still had a life left to live.

"Will you be able to walk," asked Coran releasing Casimir from his grip.

Casimir put some more weight on his hurt ankle and winced, "I should be able to keep up."

Coran sighed, he turned around and bent, "We can't afford to be slow. This is unconventional, but it must be done if we are to be safe before the Galra find us."

Casimir got the message, he didn't argue and climbed onto Corans back. With that the two were off. Casimir held onto Coran tighter with each new explosion that shook the castle. He had been in battle simulations before, once in real life, but this did not quell his rising fear.

He was afraid of death of where he would go when he stopped breathing. When the queen had died, Casimir had wanted to know if that she was okay and happy wherever she had gone.

But there was no way to tell and he had been afraid she was in pain or unhappy. Though more often than not the unknown excited Casimir, at least until it involved the possible loss of someone. Then he was no longer excited, he was afraid.

"Coran, Casimir," shouted King Alfor, dresses in his usual attire.

"Father, you're okay," shouted Casimir as the king came forward.

"It's a relief to see you both," said King Alfor, "Are either of you injured?"

"Only a sprained ankle on the prince sire," said Coran, "What is the plan?"

King Alfor answered, "Coran, go to the bridge. Allura is safe there guiding the castle. Casimir, come with me."

"Why," asked Casimir confused, "Shouldn't we be going with Coran back to Allura?"

King Alfor shook his head, the sadness in his eyes enough to bring great concern to the royal advisor. He had to wonder what the King planned to do. Not to mention why he was having them split up.

King Alfor took Casimir into his arms, "Go Coran, I will join you shortly."

Coran watched as the King and Prince disappeared down the hall, his words echoing in his mind. The King said he would see him shortly, that he and Casimir would see him shortly. It could have been a simple slip, but Coran knew better. Whatever King Alfor had planned, it involved the young prince would be elsewhere.

 **Present**

"King Alfor returned without you," said Coran sadly, "He said he sent the lions away and that you were safe, hiding somewhere else. Before we could question what he meant, he pushed myself and Allura into the pods."

Allura continued, "When we were awoken and you were not there, we just assumed that you were gone… I had asked father, the consciousness he kept, about you, but he said he could not answer. That it was too dangerous to say."

Lance didn't say anything for awhile, processing all he had heard. He wondered why his, his father would send him away instead of bringing him to the others? Was it because of Voltron? Did his birth father know that when the lions roar came during his rites that it was meant for him to be a Paladin?

"He just sent me away," Lance asked, he tried to hide it, but the slight hurt was clear.

Allura answered, "He must have known you would become the blue Paladin. Why else would he have sent you to the same planet as that lion?"

"But how did he know," questions Lance.

"Perhaps the original blue Paladin told him," suggested Coran, "The lions know who will take them. Perhaps the lion revealed the next Paladin."

Lance glanced away, "Yeah, maybe."

A slightly tense and somber silence filled the planetarium, neither party knowing to say to the other. Lance felt he was the most uncertain of the three, though he wasn't sure. For all he knew the others were feeling just as hesitant and out of sorts as he felt.

"Are, are you handling this well," asked Allura.

Lance looked at her, he couldn't remember her ever stuttering around him or the others before. Seeing the princess act anything like a normal person was very strange.

He offered her a weak smirk, "Nothing I can't handle."

Silence settled over the trio. Though Lance was slightly curious to hear more of 'his' past, he also wanted to know as little as humanly or alteanly possibly.

"Well," started Lance getting in his feet, "Thanks for telling me this, but I'm going to head back to bed."

"Oh before you go," said Allura pulling out his necklace, "I believe this belongs to you."

The necklace tied around her wrist like a long bracelet, Lance had to wonder why she was wearing it like that or why she was wearing it all. Though he was certain he would have been more annoyed to see it around her neck. It was still his necklace, only he should wear it.

Carefully, and a little too gingerly in Lance's opinion, she undid the necklace from around her wrist. Having this necklace was the closest she had been to Casimir in so long. It felt nice to have a part of him so near to her, if only for a little while it was pleasant.

However she knew she couldn't keep it. It wouldn't be right for her to wear it. Allura held the necklace out for Lance, though she was saddened to part with jr, she was glad the owner would have it.

Lance took the necklace a bit quickly and Allura could tell he had been restraining himself from trying to take it before. This brought a soft smile to her face, some things would never change and for that she was grateful.

"Thank you," said Lance slipping the necklace on, "I know you wanted a different reunion… I'm sorry you didn't get it."

Allura waved off his concern, "Don't be. I'm just glad you're here… if I may be a bit bold?"

She paused for a while much to Lance's dismay. He could tell she really wanted to ask him something or tell him something, but she was holding back for a reason he wasn't sure of. Lance recalled his earlier outburst and felt more guilt eat away at him.

"What is it," he asked her softly.

Allura looked up at him, "It's just.. I remember the last I hugged him- I hugged you. I want to hug you now, but I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Lance could only offer her a small smile, "My arms are always open for a princess."

Lance thought that's as a good line, but the reaction from Allura made him think otherwise. It was gone as quickly as it came, but he noticed the flicker of something in her eyes. It was akin to recognition as far as Lance could tell. He wasn't great at reading people, but he had his moments.

 _My arms are always open for a princess._

When Allura has been sad, Casimir would always give her a hug or remind her he was always available to give them. To hear those words said again just sent another pang through her already troubled heart. Without waiting another moment, Allura threw her arms around Lance in a near bone crushing hug which was saying a lot.

Alteans strength and force was far less than a humans ability which had been learned through an arm wrestling contest and some other experiments run by Pidge and Hunk.

Still a bit stunned by the hug, it took Lance a moment before he hesitatingly wrapped his arms around Allura. He just held her as her shoulder began to tremble against him.

"I've missed you so much Cas," whispered Allura so quietly that Lance wasn't sure she had said anything at all.

He hugged her a bit tighter, to say he was there, that he was back, but it didn't feel right. It was as if Casimir really wasn't there, but standing in the place of another. Softly Lance replied to her words. He had no idea why he said anything, but the words were already past his tongue.

"I've missed you too 'Lura."

Allura released a shuddering breath at the use of her old nickname. Her baby brother was there, he was in Lance, was Lance.

She closed her eyes at the same time Lance had shut his own eyes, both relaxing slightly into the embrace of the other. Behind the back of Allura's eyes she could make out the image of when she was younger, she was holding an infant.

It was Casimir. When the children in the image before her moved, when her younger self hugged the infant Casimir close to her chest, she felt Lance's grip tighten around her.

"Is that us," Lance whispered.

He could see it too. Their bond was weak, but it was growing again and it could be rebuilt.

Allura opened her eyes and said, "Yes, that was us. It was the, it was the first time I brought you to the gardens."

Lance pulled away first, "I don't remember it."

"Of course not, you were practically a newborn at the time," said Allura with a grin.

Lance nodded, the quip she tried to make fell on deaf ears.

"I'll see you later then," said Lance.

He turned and walked towards the door, his steps strained and rigid. Gone was his useful air of control and casual stride.

"Goodnight Lance," Allura said gently.

Lance paused in his spot, he looked back at her with a softened expression, "Goodnight Allura, goodnight Coran."

With that, the lost prince of Altea left the room with a quickened stride. Allura released a sigh, her heart heavy, but spirits high.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry guys, I thought updates this story, but apparently I hadn't. My bad fellow Defenders! A little on the short side, but starting the build up for the upcoming chapters. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

Lance would have liked to do nothing for days, but a mission was brought to their attention. It had only been two days since he discovered the truth, but he still was shaken and far from fully accepting it. After everything that had occurred, he was not in the mood to be bothered by anything or anyone. But the universe waits for no one.

There were lives on the line, he couldn't sit around and sulk when someone out there needed help, the help only flying lions and Voltron could give. It was strange to think he was put in space, flying robot lion and saving the universe. Life was funny like that he supposed, crazy things happen and you either fight it or roll with it.

Lance preferred rolling with it, though with his most recent challenge he finally understood why people fought change or new things. Sometimes they were things you didn't realize you never wanted. He shook it from his mind and tried to refocus his attention on Shiro and Pidge.

When he was called down for a mission, he realized it was actually a possible one and not one of urgency, he expected they would head out immediately. That wasn't the case. Hunk had only told him that because he thought Lance wouldn't show up otherwise. It was true, but Lance was annoyed.

"-me escape," said Shiro when Lance finally focused.

"And he was Galra," Allura said angrily.

Lance tensed at the tone, why did it bother him so much? He supposed because he didn't like the sound of her voice or that she had a hatred for an entire people.

 _You can't blame everyone for the actions of a few_.

His… mother on earth told him that when he was younger and he carried that advice with him. The thought of her sent a pang in his chest.

"Yes," Shiro sighed.

Allura went on in the same tone, "You know you cannot trust them."

Shiro glared at her, "Your father must have trusted them once. Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, wasn't he?"

"That was a long time ago," Allura said glancing away.

 _A creature with purple skin and yellow eyes stood towering of him, his armor white and black. His smile was friendly and his laugh infectious._

Lance winced, squeezing his eyes. The name echoed in his mind, _Zarkon_.

"He was the Black Paladin," Hunk said in shock.

Keith spoke next, looking at each member, "Didn't you see how he stole the Black Lion right out from under Shiro? Or that he could do all that cool stuff with his bayard? Shiro's bayard? You know, the black one?"

Shiro looked at Allura then, an accusation in his eyes, "Why didn't you just tell us the truth about Zarkon?"

Allura looked slightly guilty, "I wanted to protect you from the dark history of the paladins so that you would have a chance to bond with your lions on your own. You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon."

"Yeah, well, the Black Lion may have a different take on the matter," said Shiro a bit dejected.

"Wait a second. I think I see it now," said Pidge excitedly, "Some repeating numbers in all this Galra code. Let me extract it."

They were all silent for a moment.

"They are coordinates! They lead here: the Thaldycon system."

Shiro stood up then, "Then, that's where we're headed."

"Shiro, are you sure you can trust this," Keith asked worriedly, "I mean, after all the Galra have done to you. They, they took your arm."

Shiro nodded determinedly, "It's worth the risk. Someone helped me escape. If we can locate some allies in our fight against Zarkon, especially ones from his own side, we might just find a way to take him down."

Allura crossed her arms over her chest, "We can check the location, but I do not like this. The Galra are not to be trusted."

It didn't look like the Paladins would be leaving the castle any time soon, so Lance took this as a blessing. His head was clouded and he wasn't ready to be in a fight or in a high stakes situation. The last thing he wanted was for someone to be her just because he was a little distracted.

 _You can never allow yourself to be distracted on the battlefield. One moment is all it takes for the enemy to gain the upper hand._

Lance brought his hand to his head as the voice echoed in his mind, his temples starting to throb. The voice sounded far away and muffled, but he had a feeling he knew who the owner was. Zarkon. According to Allura, Zarkon had been like a mentor to Casimir, who helped him train and strategize.

Lance wasn't thrilled about the idea and after the story Allura told him the other night, his mind had been all over with random flashes from a life he didn't know. He assumed this would go on for awhile, but didn't think it would cause him pain.

At first they just came, but then the headache and unease in his stomach followed by lunch yesterday. A hand on his shoulder caused him to jump back and stumbled on his feet.

"Lance," said Shiro concerned.

Lance realized Allura's hand was on his shoulder and Shiro was facing him, the others were watching a few steps back.

 _Focus on what's around you prince._

His temples were throbbing.

"Are you alright," asked Allura worriedly.

Lance glanced at her then at the others. While yesterday when he was around, the other's hadn't treated him differently and for a while he could pretend nothing had changed.

However he knew soon that would no longer be the case. It would turn into the elephant in the room, something there that no one wanted to talk about.

"I don't think now is the time," Lance said taking a deep breath.

"You look like you're in pain," Keith said matter of factly, "What's wrong?"

Lance narrowed his eyes. What wasn't wrong with him at this point? The new information, the flashes, the aches. The blue Paladin was not having a pleasant time.

"Just some headaches and flashes of stuff," said Lance dismissively, "What's wrong with me isn't important right now. We need to get to Thadycon and find out who helped Shiro. We need answers."

"Flashes," asked Coran curiously.

Lance sighed, "Did you not hear what I just said about it not being important?"

Shiro replied, "Lance, we're here right now because I saw some flashbacks. What are you seeing that's causing you pain?"

Lance tried not to growl, "I'm fine. Can we not focus on me or my issues right now?"

"We want to make sure you're alright," Shiro said patient as ever, "Talk to us, we're a team remember?"

Lance held back a retort. He knew it was unfair to take out his anger on his friends, but he couldn't help it. It was too easy for him to lose his temper. Honestly he hated it.

 _Don't allow your emotions to control you. They will cloud your judgement._

The pressure building behind his eyes.

Taking steady breath, Lance pushed his anger aside and nodded in answer to Shiro's question. His team was here for him. He had to believe that.

"How did we know Zarkon," he asked looking directly at Allura, "I, I've seen him. In flashes and echoes."

Allura visibly swallowed and looked uncomfortable with the topic. She knew he was going to ask eventually, but she had hoped she would have more time to come up with a better story and explanation.

This had to be handled correctly. The last time she spoke about Zarkon to her brother it had ended poorly, she couldn't let it happen that way again.

Allura sighed, "Zarkon was a friend of our father's," Allura ignored the wince on his face, "that's all you need to know."

Lance narrowed his eyes at her, "You can hide it for now, but you don't get to decide what I need or don't need to know."

Allura released a sigh, she had expected as much, "Very well. When there is time, I shall tell more."

Lance flashed her a grateful look then before it slipped away. He could hear is pulse in his ears.

"What have you seen," Pidge asked curiously.

Lance shook his head, "Not important. Look let's just focus on one thing at a time alright. Shiro's right, we need to get to the bottom of whatever is going on with the guy who saved him. We can deal with my issues after."

Allura frowned at the use of the word issues, but she couldn't blame him for it. After all, he now had more problems than before. The guilt of that was weighing down on her, but she wouldn't take it back. Not now or ever really, her brother was here and that was all that mattered.

* * *

The castle arrived to the coordinates Shiro and Pidge has found, it was nothing but some time of mind field. Lance didn't remember the name, honestly he wasn't paying much attention when Coran was describing it.

He had been lost in thought, the echoes of a life he didn't know ringing in his ears. If this was going to become a regular thing, he was not pleased about it. Soon enough after their arrival, an intruder had come to the castle sending the Paladins into gear.

Chasing him down had been rough, in the end it had been Shiro who stopped him or really at least got him to stop running and fighting.

It turned out the guy, the Galra who saved Shiro, was the one who broke on board. That was a bit of relief. Though the Galra intruder named Ulaz was still cuffed for breaking in. Shirt wasn't pleased by that.

"I don't think this is necessary," Shiro commented.

Allura glared at the Galra, "I will not have some quiznak-ing Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!"

Lance muttered under his breath, "Harsh much."

Ulaz spoke then, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

"Are your Galra threats supposed to win my trust," Allura snapped.

Ulaz replied not phased by her tone, "I'm not trying to win your trust. I'm trying to win a war. And, because of Shiro, we are closer than we've ever been. Our gamble on you paid off better than we could have ever imagined."

"When you released me, you also mentioned that there were others working with you," Shiro said curious and a slight hesitation.

Ulaz nodded once, "Yes. We are called the Blade of Marmora."

"Uh, others? Are they here," Hunk asked in surprise.

Ulaz shook his head no, "I am alone on this base." "What is this base you're talking about," Allura asked harshly, "Shiro's coordinates just led us to this wasteland."

"The base is hidden. Now that I know it is Shiro that has come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead," explained Ulaz simply.

Pidge raised a brow, "Behind all the xanthorium clusters?"

Ulaz shook his head, "No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time."

Allura spoke a bit louder, "Coran, are you hearing this?"

"I am picking up some kind of anomaly on the screen. I suppose it could be a cloaked base," Coran replied from his spot on the bridge.

"Just fly straight for the center of the xanthorium cluster. You will see," said Ulaz without changing his tone.

Allura glared at him furiously, "You think you're going to get me to destroy our ship just because you say so?"

"We came out here to find some answers. Are we going to turn back now," Shiro questioned.

Keith voiced his suspicions, "You know I trust you, Shiro, but this doesn't feel right."

Pidge agreed and gestured to her head, "Galra could have implanted fake memories of the escape in your head."

"Oh, come on, that would be so evil, which, of course, they are. But they'd have to come up with some molecular level storage unit, which his hand does have," Hunk said nervously, "But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct pathway to his brain, which... yeah."

Lance spoke next, his voice soft, "I say we listen to him."

A chorus of what and why's came. Shiro was silent.

Lance explained, "Ulaz set Shiro free and that lead to Voltron being formed. Without him, none of that would have happened. We may not know him, but we owe him this."

Allura looked like she wanted to argue with him, but Lance had a feeling him being her brother made her hesitant. They were shaky at best, she probably didn't want to rock the boat anymore than it already was. The echoes of the past seemed to haunt Allura more and more, especially the voice of her kid brother.

 _Please 'Lura._

Allura relented, "Fine. Slow and steady, Coran. Head for the xanthorium cluster."

Coran sighed, "Yes, Princess. Beginning approach." Slowly the castle moved forward, the alarms blaring in warning of impact.

Coran announced to them, "Impact imminent in five, four... three, two... Well, that's something."

Allura glanced up, "What is it?"

"Just a tick," said Coran, "Putting it up on the screens."

The screen behind the Paladins game a live with a view of all the colors of the rainbow streaming forward through the dark abyss of space. It was a stunning sight to see.

Pidge spoke first, "Amazing. They're folding space."

"It's like a space taco. Or a space calzone. Or a space-time soup dumpling and we're the soup," Hunk said dreamily, he looked at Ulaz, "Hey, is there a cafeteria on this thing?"

Ulaz stood from his seat, "Welcome to the Blade of Marmora Communications Base Thaldycon. Now, if you'll free me, I need to send a message to the leadership. They need to know I've made contact with Voltron."

Allura looked like she wanted to argue, but when her eyes fell to Lance she decided against it. In her mind she could still hear the echoes of their argument, of her anger and his hurt. She had to avoid any issues with him, at least until she was certain their relationship could survive.

The Princess looked to Shiro, "Go with him and keep an eye on him. I'm staying here."

"Ooh! Can we go," Hunk asked excitedly.

Pidge added with just as much enthusiasm, "I want to see how they make the space pocket!"

Allura sighed, "Go ahead, but be on alert."

Hunk and Pidge cheered at that. However Hunk stopped when he looked at Lance, Keith had turned to the blue Paladin as well. While it was clear that the others were going, Lance was not.

He did not entirely want to leave, but at the same time he really didn't want to stay behind with Coran and Allura alone. However it looked as if that would be the case if the other Paladins decided to go with Ulaz.

"Lance you going to join us," Keith asked after a moment.

Lance hesitated, "One of us should stay with in the castle in case of an attack or emergency of some kind."

Shiro nodded to Lance with an impressed look, "He's right. Good thinking Lance. The rest of us will travel to the base with Ulaz. We'll take the Red Lion, it's fastest and if we need to leave in a hurry, it will get us there in no time."

It was decided, while Lance remained in the castle, the rest of the Paladins and Ulaz would go to the base. Allura has been so relieved that Lance was remaining here, close enough for her to know he was safe and away from the Galra.

She knew sending him out on missions with the Paladins would be more difficult, knowing that he was her brother complicated things. If she could she would forbid from flying the blue lion again, but he would never agree and Voltron needed all the lions operational. It was an unfortunate situation.

Once the Paladins were gone, Lance was sitting in the bridge with Coran and Allura. The silence between them all was tense and uneasy. Usually Lance would have filled the silence with his endless chatter, but he couldn't find any words to say nor did he really want to break the silence.

 _Sometimes the best plans come in the silence, but some of the great ones come in the best of battle_.

Lance suppressed a hiss at the voice ringing in his ears. Trying to ignore it wasn't working, but letting it continue was almost worse. Regardless of what he did, the pain in his temples didn't leave, at first it was a dull ache, but it turned into a stabbing pain that he could barely handle.

Luckily or unluckily, a threat was detected headed towards the base now. The other Paladins returned quickly and all of team Voltron went to their stations. Lance was somewhat grateful for this, he had something else to focus on and was ready to take Blue for a spin.

A Galra machine, merciless and giant had come after them, firing attacks and using a tractor beam to power up. The fight had it's difficulties, but Voltron was successful in the end. Unfortunately, Ukaz died saving them. He used the space picket to get the machine to fold in on itself, destroying it and himself in the process.

Shiro took the loss the hardest, none of the Paladins could blame him. Not even Allura could find fault with it. Lance had gone to see Shiro after they all returned to the castle, Pidge and Hunk were with Coran going over the technology used for the space pocket and possibly a way to recreate it with what they had. Keith had joined Lance to visit Shiro, only moments after he just arrived.

"Are you okay Shiro," Lance asked worriedly.

Shiro kept his eyes on the Xandthorium crystals, "I'll be alright. I will have so many questions."

Keith spoke next, "Sorry we doubted Ulaz, Shiro. He saved all our lives."

"He died a hero," Lance said softly, his gaze on the floor.

The doors behind them opened, but none of them turned to see who entered. It was Allura.

Keith asked, "Do you think Zarkon is really tracking us?"

"We cannot know for sure," Allura said making her presence known, "Only Ulaz knew our whereabouts."

Shiro looked over her shoulder at her, "You don't really think Ulaz gave us up? After he sacrificed himself?"

Keith was quick to agree, "Yeah! Maybe Zarkon found out about this place on his own. He's probably been searching for the Blade of Marmora."

Lance said nothing, his narrowed slightly at Allura. He knew of her prejudice and hatred towards the Galra based on the flashes he saw after she told him about their argument when he was Casimir. My only had Lance seen Zarkon, but he had seen her plenty of times along with the King and Queen of Altea.

She spoke again, tone indifferent, "It's clear the loss of Ulaz has caused you great concern, but regardless of how Zarkon located us, we cannot stay here any longer. It isn't safe."

"We should meet up with the rest of Ulaz's group, finish what we started," Keith said passionately.

"No way," Lance said with a frown, "Zarkon would just find us and the rest of the rebels again."

Shiro agreed, "We can't risk losing the only allies we have in this war. Until we figure out how Zarkon is tracking us, we can't go near them again."

Allura was prepared to say other reasons as to why they shouldn't go near them again. However she bit her tongue because of Lance. Her gaze fell to blue Paladin dressed in his usual outfit, his arms wrapped around his stomach.

Everyone, including herself, was still unnerved at Lance's shift in demeanor. No one would blame of course, but he wasn't talking enough and his posture and positioning was all wrong.

During the battle it was easy to forget that he was acting different, but it was these quiet moments that everyone noticed a change. Allura had become so wrapped up in her observation, she hadn't noticed Shiro or Keith leave the room.

"Maybe you should take a picture," Lance said turning to look st the stars, "It will last longer than you staring at me."

"I apologize, that was rude of me," Allura replied.

Lance waved dismissively, but made no verbal reply.

"Are you alright," Allura asked as she walked over to him.

Lance didn't answer her question, "Tell me about how we knew Zarkon Allura. His voice is echoing in my head, so are two others that I don't recognize, but Zarkon's is the most noticeable." Lance lifted his head to look at her, his blue eyes slightly narrowed, "Don't hide anything from me this time."

Allura tried to hide a wince at his phrasing, but he saw the expression. Part of him wanted to feel guilty about it, but he was too upset to care. The revelation from before had brought on all kinds of distorted memories and voices he didn't really know.

It was slowly driving him up the wall, though he didn't want to accept this situation, he knew figuring it would do him no good. What he needed were answers, right now Allura and Coran held most of them.

"He was the best friend of our father's, a teacher and mentor to you," Allura explained, "I don't know the details of your relationship with him, only that he taught you many tricks and even had you as an apprentice of sort."

"Did I ever write any of it down," Lance asked.

"I don't know, why," Allura questioned confused.

"If I had any information on him or how he thinks, it could be useful. Though it would be ten thousand years old, possibly outdated," Lance said thoughtfully.

Allura offered a weak smile, "Only possibly?"

Lance nodded, a slight grin of his own, "Only possibly. Clearly his tactics are working since it's been a long time. Any past information might be helpful."

"You could always check your room," Allura suggested casually.

Lance raised an eyebrow, "My room?"

Allura nodded, her eyes lit up, "Your room or study, either one could hold information about your apprenticeship with Zarkon."

"It's a start at least," Lance said with a nod.

"I could show you to it perhaps after things have settled down and we are in a age location," Allura said a bit hesitant.

Lance offered her a small smile, "Sounds like a plan."


	6. Chapter 6

**SO VOLTRON SEASON SEVEN CAME OUT TODAY , I WATCHED IT ALL AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE ALL THE FEELS. EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO WATCH IT ASAP.**

 **In honor of this occasion, here is a chapter. This chapter is the last part in setting up the stage, think of it like the last introductory part of the story and the next chapters will go back to the main plot of Voltron, with this revelation and other changes. Bare in mind this is meant to be a canon like story, so definitely will see a lot of in show dialogues with things added or taken out.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys enjoy.**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

Chapter Six

When Lance stepped inside Casimir's room, his chest felt heavy with something he couldn't quite place. The room was large, much larger than his own room at the Garrison or in Cuba was. The bed was on the far right, while various items were scattered all throughout the room, weapons, toys, books, technology Lance didn't recognize and several pieces of clothing.

He had been a bit apprehensive about coming here, it was like looking at someone else's life and not his own. In a manner of speaking, that was true. Whoever Casimir was, he and Lance were not the same. As he looked around the room he expected some pain to find him, but luckily no headache or stomach pain came to him. He took it as a small victory, however he momentarily forgot that as he looked at Allura.

 _His older sister._

The first name to pop into his head was Veronica, the older sister he knew and loved. He remembered his younger and older brothers, his younger sisters, his nieces and nephews, his grandparents, aunts and uncles. His family on earth was rather large and there was so much there, how could they really not be his like he thought?

Allura brought her hand to her mouth, sorrow filling her at the sight. She hadn't entered this room since before the argument with Casimir, that was thousands of years ago. There was nothing she missed more than her family, though she was truly grateful to have her brother back, she wished things would have different.

The princess looked to her brother to see him watching her with a curious and regretful look. She tried to push the sadness aside for his sake, it wasn't his fault and she would never blame for that. If the blame had to fall to someone, it had to fall to her.

"You were always so messy," Allura commented with a smile, "You knew where everything was, but no one else could find anything in the chaos."

Lance offered her a weak grin, "Good to see some things haven't changed. My rooms on earth are just as messy."

Allura smirked, her eyes a bit brighter than before, "Not surprised. Mother was like that as well."

Lance glanced away then, he could see blurred images of what he assumed were his birth parents. He had seen them before, a man and woman with his skin tone and Allura's white hair. Though if he focused enough their image would become more vivid allowing him to notice any minor details.

The woman for instance, her skin was lighter than that of her husbands and daughters. It was the same shade as Lance's was. Her eyes were more like Allura than his, his King Alfor's however were closer to his own. He clenched his hands into fists, he hated this.

Lance released a sigh, he could feel the beginnings of a headache, "Let's get to work."

For roughly an hour, Lance and Allura had worked together with comfortable silence and some conversation. If Lance had a question about anything, she was more than willing to answer which made Lance want to smile despite the ache it caused.

Her eagerness to connect with her long lost brother was palpable at best, it hurt Lance to know he couldn't give her the reunion she wanted. It was out of his control, he knew that, but it still bothered him.

Lance had been digging through the pile of items on his old desk when he spotted it. At first it was just a shine in his periphery vision, but something inside of him caused him to investigate further until he found the source of the glint he saw. He pulled the item from under the pages to see it was a knife of kind.

Carefully Lance unwrapped the blade that had been hidden by gauze. His eyes studied the sharp blade, a dagger he realized after a few moments of observing it. The handle was a royal blue color with what he assumed was his name carved into it. It brought a wry smile to his face.

When he turned the dagger over to look at it's other side, he noticed an inscription on the blade itself written in a language he didn't recognize. However, he knew what the inscription said despite not knowing the language.

 _Killing stroke._

Lance hissed softly as the words rang in his ears, the deep voice that said them causing his temples to throb. Black spots swarmed around his vision, sharp pains pierced his skull as he released a cry of surprise. The ground swayed beneath his feet and he was gone before he hit the ground. The dagger clattering on the floor.

* * *

"Paladins, we need to talk," Shiro said as he entered the lounge where Hunk, Pidge and Keith were doing various things.

Pidge looked up first, "What's up Shiro?"

The Black Paladin answered, "It's about Lance."

"What about him," Hunk asked, his tone concerned and a little fearful, "Is he alright? Did something happen?"

"As far as I know, he seems fine," replied Shiro, though he didn't sound to sure.

Keith spoke then, "He's not fine. You guys have all seen how he's been acting."

"Keith has a point," Pidge said with a frown, her eyes downcast, "He hasn't been himself since he learned about his Altean heritage."

"Would you be able to act the same in his shoes," Hunk questioned, though it was more rhetorical than anything.

The obvious answer was no. It was a lot to process.

Shiro nodded at Hunk, "He's right. We're his team. We need to be there for him as much as we can, even if it means giving him space. Keith, don't antagonize him as much. Pidge keep the snarky comments to a minimum. Hunk, don't be as overbearing. I will be stepping back on critiquing him in training as well. Can we all manage that?"

The group nodded without protest. Though Keith wasn't sure changing the dynamic with Lance would be the best thing to do, he knew what Shiro was trying to say. While it was important to keep some things the same for Lance, it was better not to keep it exactly the same so he wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Keith hated to admit it, he really hated to admit it, but he was really concerned about the blue Paladin. It took all of his strength not to constantly go after Lance to check on him, to not try and get him to talk about how he was really doing.

It would have been strange and out of character for Keith to do that, he knew it to and Lance probably couldn't take another thing right now. Keith briefly recalled his thoughts about his blade, it had the same mark as the one Ulaz carried.

His father had given him this blade, had told him it was from his mother. That she left for him to have, he never went anywhere without. It was the only thing he had of her as far Keith knew. Though his dad did mention on occasion the similarities between Keith and his mother, but they were few and dare between.

If it were possible for Lance to an Altean, that an Altean made it this far away from the fight before, could it be possible the Galra came? Keith knew it was, but there wasn't any record of the Galra here. Must have been a small group or single person who came and left the blade. Either his mother found it or she was Galra.

"Paladins," Allura shrieked through the communications of the castle, "Coran! It's Lance, something's wrong!"

All the Paladins jumped to their feet.

Shiro called out to her, "What happened? Where are you and Lance?"

"The Observing hall, Pidge should know where that is," Allura shouted, her tone growing frantic, "I can't carry him all the way down to the medbay. Get Coran to prep the area!"

Keith spoke then, his tone serious, "We're on it. Hunk, Shiro, you two go find Coran and get him to the medbay as soon as possible. Pidge and I will get Allura and Lance."

Shiro gave Keith a knowing look, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived causing a curious feeling to build in the Red Paladin. However now wasn't the time. Keith followed closely after Pidge who lead him to the upper floors of the castle, a place he had neglected to visit or learn of it's paths despite the week's he had been here.

After what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes, Keith and Pidge found Allura on the floor holding Lance's upper body in her arms. Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks as she could only stare at the unconscious, shivering teen.

"Allura, what happened to Lance," Keith asked as he and Pidge made their way to stand in front of her.

Her tears gaze caused a pulse of panic to rush through the veins of the green and red Paladins as they looked down at the Altean siblings.

"I don't know," Allura said clearly despite her distrust appearance, "We were looking through some of his things, in Casimir's room. It was going just fine when he picked up Casimir's dagger, then he just froze and cried out like he was in pain… He just collapsed and started shivering when I called out for you all."

Lance released a shuddering breath. His eyes opened barely, but it didn't look like he was seeing the Paladins and Allura. If anything he appeared to be in haze before his eyes closed again, shivers wracking his body.

Pidge put her hand on his forehead, "He's burning up. That's saying something considering Altean have a colder body temperature than humans. I doubt he would be warmer on average."

Allura visibly swallowed, "Another concern."

"Let's get him downstairs," Keith said sharply, "There's no time to waste."

Keith bent down as Allura and Pidge lifted Lance onto Keith's back. Luckily Lance was close enough to consciousness to wrap his arms around Keith's neck and rest his head on Keith's shoulder. Once Keith thought he was secure enough, he took off running trying to ignore the feeling of Lance's shallow breaths against his neck.

"You're going to be fine," Keith said out loud, hoping Lance could hear him, "You're okay, you're okay."

"Worried," came the labored and ever so quiet reply.

If not for the hot breath Keith had felt against his neck, he wouldn't have believed Lance had spoken at all. He picked up the pace with Pidge and Allura a few steps behind.

Keith burst through the doors of the medbay to find Coran and Hunk furiously working on several machines in front of them. A bed was placed near them, a dome was hanging on the side closest to Keith as he entered. He assumed it would cover Lance once he laid down and the scan would begin.

The black Paladin spoke when he saw Keith enter with Lance, "They're almost ready, set him down here."

Keith nodded mutely as he walked over to the bed. With some aid from Shiro, they were able to get Lance to release his hold on Keith and set him down. Lance took a harsh breath as he laid tense on the somewhat comfortable medically bed.

"This examining table hasn't been used in quite awhile, but it is similar to the pods upstairs," explained Coran as he the dome moved to cover Lance, "However this one is a bit better at finding any details that may be causing a problem."

Hunk added, "It will be able to figure out what happened to him in a matter of minutes."

Allura nodded, her expression stoic as she said, "Good, we need an answer as soon as possible."

* * *

*Lance's dream*

 _Lance stood in what he recognized as the training room of the castle where he and the Paladins would run through drills for hours on end. A minute ago he had been in Casimir's room. Why was he here in the training room?_

 _Abruptly he saw a training bot with a long sword come to attack him, only it wasn't going after him at all. The attack was blocked by a purple long sword that was being wielded by child with stark white hair wearing a fitted white shirt and larger purple pants. Lance jumped back in surprise, he could only stare at the boy in fear and shock._

 _The boy shoved at the bot with all his strength giving him a moment to attack the bot and cut off his head with a single swing. Lance could only blink, he had hardly been able to keep track of the boy's movements. How had he managed to do that so quickly?_

 _He landed in a side lunge position, he smiled triumphantly, "Aw yeah, take that you quiznaking bot!"_

 _The familiar hiss of the doors opening filled Lance's ears._

" _My prince," said the familiar voice of Coran, "You have a visitor."_

 _Lance turned around to see Coran standing in the doorway, he looked a little younger than Lance remembered. His face was mostly the same, but his facial hair was less prominent. Thought his outfit was unchanged._

 _The boy came to stand beside Lance and spoke in a voice to similar to his own, "Good to see you Coran. Who has come to see me?"_

 _The visitor in question made himself known as he came to stand beside Coran. It was the Galra dictator, Zarkon. Even though he appeared younger and not as evil or terrifying as Lance recalled from the one encounter he had with the tyrant before._

 _Lance stepped back in fear, he was defenseless without a weapon with a younger Coran and a child. However much to his surprise, the boy beside him looked happy._

" _Zarkon," shouted the boy happily, "This is a wonderful surprise! What are you doing here?"_

" _I have something to give you Casimir,," said the broad shouldered Galra as he stepped into the training circle._

 _That name was all it took for Lance to realize he was having a flashback in the third person. He had no idea that would be possible, especially since he was certain most people if not all couldn't remember things like this. Maybe it was a dream or maybe Alteans were able to see their memories in the third person. Either way, it was strange, but it made sense as to why he was here suddenly._

 _He shook his head furiously, with whatever strength he had he forced the memory away. For a moment he was blinded by bright light until he saw he was no longer in the training room._

He was being held by someone, their arms were small and hands gentle on him as he laid there. It was incredibly cold, he could tell he was shaking because of the temperature. He heard voices, but couldn't make out who they were.

 _Zarkon held in his hands a closed box that appeared to be made of wood as far as Lance could tell. The boy, Casimir, walked forward to stand directly in front of Zarkon with a beaming smile. In any case, Lance could almost describe the expression as proud._

 _Lance struggled to get his slight panic under control as he remained here. There was nothing for him to do, but stand in his place and observe. But this was not what he wanted to do, he had to get out of here, he had to get out of here now._

Lance forced the memory away again, the pain in his skull increasing enough for his eyes to water with tears he wouldn't shed. It was then he heard a muffled voice, it was Keith's.

"You're going to be fine," Keith said, "You're okay, you're okay."

"Worried," Lance forced the word out with his last bit of strength before the memory claimed him again.

 _Lance now stood before Zarkon and beside his younger self. He took this moment to study the prince to find that he looked the same as he had at the age of ten. The only difference was the blue sickle markings, obvious white hair and the fact that the prince appeared to have a more toned body. Lance assumed it had to do with all the training Casimir probably did._

 _The blue Paladin looked back at Zarkon to see he had opened the wooden box to reveal a dagger. The dagger Lance had been holding before he collapsed in Casimir's room. However the handle of this dagger was red with the name Zarkon carved into it._

" _A dagger," Casimir questioned as he lifted the blade, "While I do not want to seem ungrateful, why a dagger? I'm better versed with a sword or blasters."_

 _Zarkon nodded with a knowing look, "You are a skilled warrior Casimir. One of the best I have ever had the honor of teaching."_

 _Casimir smirked, "You flatter me."_

" _However," Zarkon continued with a smirk of his own, "It is important that you build up your weakest skills to be an equal to your strongest ones."_

 _Casimir held the blade in his smaller hands delicately, "It has a Galra inscription on it."_

" _What does it say," Zarkon questioned, prompting Casimir to speak._

" _Killing stroke, or thrust in some translations I assume," said Casimir, he lifted his blue eyes to look at Zarkon, "Vrepit sa, your favorite salute."_

" _It is my favorite indeed, it is also one used often in our military salutes," stated Zarkon simply._

 _Casimir asked in a confused tone, "Why give me this Zarkon?"_

 _Zarkon got down onto one knee so he could be at eye level with the young Altean Prince, "Because this blade was mine. It was given to me by my mentor many years ago and it was given to him by his mentor many years before and so forth. I am now continuing the tradition with you."_

" _But I am not one of your people," Casimir said with a frown, "I remember you told me of the traditions, it must be held through your kin. I cannot accept this."_

" _It is not a rule at all, it simply is not often done," explained Zarkon, "It does not matter who that person is as long as the one gifting them them believes them to be a worthy carrier of it."_

 _Casimir stared down at the blade, he gripped the handle tightly, "You believe me worthy of it?"_

 _Zarkon places his large hand onto the small shoulder of Casimir as he said, "The most worthy person I have ever met. This blade is now yours and I intend to teach you have to properly use it along with many other things I feel you are now ready for."_

 _Casimir stood straighter, "I will make you proud. You will not regret gifting me this blade, I promise you that."_

" _You continue to bring pride to not only myself, but your family as well," Zarkon said, he pulled out royal blue wrapping tape for the handle, "Remove my tape and keep it with you as token, tie this blue one around the handle and carve your name into it."_

 _Casimir nodded mutely._

 _Zarkon stood to his full height then he spoke with a small smile, "I will see you again in the coming weeks. Until then, I want you to practice with it on your own. Find a grip and style that suits you. Should you need anything, you know how to access the systems."_

 _Casimir could only smile as he said, "Of course. Will you send me more of your strategies?"_

" _I will," Zarkon said simply, he turned away and started to walk out as he called, "Remember to keep them in a safe place."_

 _Casimir nodded, he knew the perfect spot._

* * *

Lance's eyes snapped open in shock, he sat up abruptly but hit his head against the dome that was still over him. Panic filled him for a moment as he fell back onto the bed, but he relaxed slightly when he saw Shiro and Coran.

His chest was throbbing, he brought a hand to it hoping to ease the pressure, but to no avail. The ringing in his ears was loud and insistent, luckily after a few moments it began to fade allowing him to hear Shiro.

"Lance stay down," Shiro instructed firmly, "You're in an examining chamber. You passed out a little over twenty minutes ago."

Lance nodded stiffly, "I remember collapsing. I had a pretty intense flashback."

Shiro replied with a wary grin, "Must have been quite the memory. You gave us all quite the scare. You were shivering and had a fever of 104, but are now down to a 94 degrees."

"Lower than average," commented Lance as he winced, his head still pounding, though less than earlier.

"What was the memory you saw," Shiro decided ask while Coran continued to work on the monitors.

Lance shifted on the bed uncomfortably, "It, it was Zarkon again."

"Did he hurt you," Shiro asked concerned, the thought of the titan near the blue Paladin making him angry.

Lance shook his head, he answered hesitantly, "No. no he didn't hurt me, he gave me something. He gave me a dagger and I think some of strategies."

Shiro raise an eyebrow, "Why would he do that?"

"Because Casimir was like his apprentice," Coran said as he faced the Paladins, "Many decaphobes ago, long before Zarkon and the Paladins, the Galra would have masters of a trade. They would then take on an apprentice and teach them all they knew, then give them a weapon or item of some kind. For Zarkon, a dagger was passed down."

"Why was Cas-I his apprentice," Lance asked curiously.

Coran sighed, "You were a great warrior and magician despite your young age. Zarkon saw real potential in you, he believed that the instructors you had were holding you back and in a way they were right. Under Zarkon and some help from his wife, you became a true force to be reckoned with."

Lance wasn't sure how to respond to any of that. He opted to stay silent as the glass dome over him moved away. Shiro helped him sit up on the bed, the blue Paladins relaxed a sharp sigh as he sat up. Even though Lance usually liked being the center of attention, this was not at all what he liked. He preferred to be the guy who made everyone laugh or the most interesting person in the room.

Being the most wounded was not what he had in mind, being the one who was the center of everyone's concern was not what he wanted. Though he had to admit it was nice to know that his teammates were worried about him, it meant they did really care about him.

"He said in the flashback about some plans he had, I wrote them down and I know where they are," Lance said, he took a laborer breath, "They might help us."

Shiro rested a hand on Lance's shoulder, "That can wait for a few minutes. Coran did a scan on you to see what may have caused you to pass out and why you're in pain."

Lance swallowed, he had feeling he wouldn't like the answer, "Coran, what did the scan say?"

It did not go unnoticed by Lance or Shiro that the Royal Advisor's entire body went rigid at the question. The scan results themselves hadn't been awful, but they were far from a good thing as far as the Paladins were concerned.

Shiro glanced to the side to see Allura had joined them, Pidge, Hunk and Keith were not with her. He assumed she must have sent them away as to not overwhelm Lance when he awoke. Quietly, Allura came to Shiro's side and if Lance noticed her, he didn't show it.

"We already knew King Alfor had deaged you to an infant and initially we assumed that because of the age regression, the memories were buried into your subconscious," Coran explained, his tone remorseful, "However it appears that was not the case."

Lance raised an eyebrow, "Why does it matter where the memories were?"

Coran visibly swallowed before answering, "King Alfor blocked your memories first then deaged you to an infant. This is important because now your Altean memories are directly connected to your original state of existence. Because of these blocked memories, you cannot access your magic."

Lance nodded slowly, "Okay, what does that mean for my pain or collapsing?"

"This means that with every few memories you recover, the magic he used will be undown which results in your magic own coming back. Blocked magic is harmless to Alteans and will usually cause minimal issues to someone affected by it. Human DNA is another story," Coran explained with a heavy voice.

"Another story, why," Lance asked in worry and surprise.

"Without your heritage from earth, the memories would return on their own as would the magic in you," Allura started, a bit uneasy, "Your own magic is resurfacing and fighting off the magic father used through the blocked memories, but your human side is rejecting it which is why you are in pain."

"What happens when I unblock all the memories," Lance asked softly, his heart pounding in his chest, "Won't the magic just come back? Besides the pain, why do you look so concerned?"

Coran inhaled sharply before answering him, "I cannot say for certain. What I believe will happen is when all the memories are unlocked, all of your magic will be released and you will return to your original state. And by returning to your original age, I believe in earth years you were thirteen or maybe a bit younger, your human DNA will… be destroyed."

Lance's eyes widened at those words, "What? So I'll get magic, become a thirteen year old and lose my earth dna? Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I tested a strand of white hair, it's more identical to Casimir's than your own because it doesn't have as many earth chromosomes," frowned Coran as he leaned back, "We don't know for sure. It will take time to know for certain whether or not you will deage. You could remain the same age and just lose your human DNA, but right now we don't know."

"We'll figures it out, don't worry Lance," Allura said trying to be reassuring as she grabbed Lance's hand.

He jerked his hand away, " _Don't worry_. How can I not worry? Can this revelation keep getting worse?! Is there a way to stop this?"

Coran shook his head, "There isn't a way to stop it, one way or another the magic King Alfor used will wear off. Your deaging and growing on earth were apart of that."

"What about the pain he's in," Shiro asked, Lance had forgotten he was there, "Is there anything you can do to help him on that front? Anyway to avoid him going into a state like this again?"

"This intense of a flashback was caused by a familiar object that held some significance to you," said Coran simply, "should they become more severe without prompting, Allura will have to reaffirm the mental block to avoid that scenario. There isn't a way to stop this, one way or another, King Alfor's magic will wear off now that it has started."

Lance clenched his jaw, he wasn't sure what to say or do with this information. He wasn't prepared for any of this, he didn't know what to do. If he uncovered all his memories he would become a little more than a child and lose the only real connection he had to his family on earth.

The DNA strands he had were a combination of Altean and earth DNA, the chromosomes came from his mom and Dad on earth. He just knew it and it was the only thing he could cling to that connected him to them besides the memories they all shared. He couldn't lose that, he just couldn't.

"I need some time," Lance finally said, "To think about all this."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:Thank you all fellow Paladins for the support!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

The following weeks blurred for Lance, he was aware of each passing day and was able to stay focused despite the revelations he knew. The Castle of Lions was as repaired as they could get it presently, but the help Voltron received from people called Olkari was a game changer. Voltron had received a distress signal through asteroid spores from a planet called Olkarion.

It was a planet that melded nature and technology together into one. Pidge had a field day with all the tech, Hunk was enjoying himself as well. However they couldn't enjoy it too much since it was a Galra occupied planet in need of help. Defeating the giant robot cube they had been difficult, but it was well worth it to see that planet had been freed. It also gave them a new ally.

That trip had been a few days, then as soon as they had left the planet Zarkon made an appearance. Allura had been furious and panicked at the very idea that Zarkon could track them so easily. His very own ship and fleet had locked onto their coordinates and wormholed to them.

It was assumed that they had been discovered because the troops they defeated on Olkari must have sent a signal of their whereabouts, but Lance didn't believe that to be true. He didn't voice these thoughts yet. Not until he was either certain or could prove another cause. The Castle of Lions was hidden and relatively safe for now, but Allura was exhausted.

Lance watched as she collapsed after they left the wormhole, he hardly realized he had made it to her side just as she hit the ground. What he knew was the faded bond they possessed from his years as Casimir allowed him to sense her. He could feel the energy around her flickering, he wondered just how much strength it took to open a wormhole. Surely she couldn't go on like this.

Coran started working excessively on the Teladuv, without it they were stuck waiting for Zarkon to arrive again. He claimed he did not need any help, so everyone decided to leave him be as it wasn't urgent they get on the move just yet. The Paladins were mostly anxious waiting, but there was nothing to be done. Hunk and Pidge were messing around with some science stuff, Allura was sitting with Shiro in the command room which left Lance and Keith in the pool area though that didn't last long.

When Zarkon arrived with his fleet again, everyone was nearly on panic mode. All the Paladins made it to the main room ready to join the fight. Pidge went down to help Coran while the rest remained up top.

Allura was growing more frustrated and afraid, it should have been impossible for Zarkon to track them down this quickly. How he was managing to do so was escaping her, but she knew if they did not find out how he tracked them and stop it, they would never get away. Keith and Lance were focused on using their drones to attack any of the fighter ships headed their way, luckily the sudden team exercise they had endured at the pool was paying off. Pidge and Coran were doing the best they could, but the Teladuv was far from ready. Time was running out, they had to go.

Coran gave them the go ahead, a small jump was possible. It only gave them a minute of relief.

Zarkon still found them soon after, they had maybe half an hour of time to get the generator up to speed. Forming Voltron, the Paladins fought the fleet and managed to lead Zarkon's ship into the metallic storm. He would be subdued, but not forever. And with the Teladuv crystals still broken, things were not looking good.

Pidge suggested using Hunk's cookies which had traces of scualtrite, the element needed to redirect the beams for the wormhole. Coran arranged Hunk, Keith, Pidge and Shiro inside the generator. Lance would have gone with them, but Coran insisted the four, plus the former royal advisor, were fine. Lance didn't believe this to be true, but he decided it was best not to argue. Time was of the essence, it couldn't be wasted on arguing or stubbornness.

The blue paladin went up to Allura. When he arrived, she looked worse off than the last time he had seen her. Her skin had paled tremendously, a thin layer of sweat coated her face as she leaned heavily on the pillars. While he was still uncomfortable talking to her, he just had to focus on her as his friend rather than long lost sister.

"Are you sure you can handle this," Lance asked as he came beside her, "You look terrible."

Allura offered him a weak smile, "Thank you for your candor, but I assure you I can do this."

Lance did not appear convinced, but there was nothing he could say.

"They're in position," shouted Coran over the speakers.

Lance stepped back as Allura started the wormhole, but something went wrong. Lance looked at the monitor ahead, he could see his fellow paladins in position and saw Coran frantically working on his station.

" _It's not working_ ," Coran cried out, sounding terrified. Had the situation not been as dire, Lance would have laughed.

"Do you need another body down there," Lance asked, he angled back just in case.

Allura questioned, "What is it, what happened? Zarkon is right on top of us!"

"I've got to shine the stones," realized Coran, "In ten ticks try again!"

Coran realized the stones weren't reflecting properly, so as he quick as he could began to shine them up with the sweat he had from the Slipperies. If focused on that idea, it sounded gross, but it would definitely save their lives. Once all the stones were shined, which took all of ten seconds, Allura tried again to call on the wormhole.

IT appeared before them, flickering to life as the Castle moved to it, only for it to disappear right before their eyes. Lance felt his throat tighten, along with the terror he could practically see coming from all the remaining Paladins and Coran on the monitor. This might very well be the end. A pulse of panic went through Lance, but he did his best to shove it aside.

A strangled cry barely escaped Allura's lips as she tried to call on the wormhole again, but it would not come. Lance watched as more sweat coated her paling skin, how tense her body had become along with the labored breaths she took.

"What's happened up there," Coran called out frantically, "We're ready, in the position it should work this time!"

Lance answered, his tone slightly frantic as well, "Allura's too weak. She can't do it on her own."

"NO, I can do this. I will ensure the paladins and Voltron continue this fight," Allura choked out angrily, softer she said specifically to Lance, "I will not allow Zarkon to cost me my brother again."

Lance felt his shoulders sag at her words, she tried again gripping the pillars at her sides tightly. The pale blue light flickered to life, but it wasn't strong enough. He knew it wasn't going work. Time was running out, Zarkon was probably charging his canons right now getting ready to blow the castle and Voltron away.

 _"Father, will you show us how to open a wormhole," Allura asked, her eyes wide with anticipation._

 _Casimir jumped up and down, "Yes, please, please please father."_

 _King Alfor looked at his children with a warm smile, "Alright. You're both still a bit too young to do it on your own so I'll do it with each of you so that you see and feel what it's life."_

 _Casimir and Allura said in unison, "Thank you father!"_

A pit in his stomach formed as the memory faded in and out, he recalled how to open the wormhole. Lance looked at the Altean princess and realized what he had to do. He jumped onto her station, she jerked in surprise. Her eyes held the question.

"What are you-"

"I've got this," Lance interrupted, "And I'm sorry, for all of it."

"Lance, what are you," Allura didn't get the chance to finish when Lance pushed her off.

Quickly, he stood in her place while she collapsed on the floor behind him. His hands rested on the pillars on either side, he focused on the pit in his stomach and with every fiber of his being called to it. Lance ignored the protests from Allura, he ignored the questions of the others from the monitors. He was going to get them out of there.

Lance closed his eyes.

 _"The important thing to remember Casimir is you have to feel it," King Alfor said softly, "That tug in your stomach, and for some in their chest, is the feeling to call on the wormhole. Do not fight it, follow it."_

Listening to the memory, he followed the tug he felt in his stomach until he was at it's mercy. The blue light came to life around him, the teladuv beams were brighter than before and went to each stone in rapid succession. The wormhole came into view. Lance felt his chest tighten as he steered the ship forward into the wormhole, a full jump would be made.

Allura could only stare at Lance in surprise as he guided the ship through the wormhole, the blue light around him had yet to fade away. She could make out small surges of energy around his frame, like flickers of static, until she brought her gaze up to his head. Several locks of his hair had turned to a pale white that matched her own.

Coran had told her that there was a chance Lance would revert to the age he was when he left that day or that only his appearance and DNA would change from what it was now. At first she thought it was unlikely that either would occur, however looking at him now she had to wonder which scenario would come true.

Lance lowered his hands to his sides, he stared ahead at the wormhole he had opened. He had expected to feel exhausted beyond belief, so tired that he could hardly stand. Yet he felt more alive than ever, as if he had just stepped off the blue lion after a great flying moment. Despite himself, he wore a bright smile.

"You did it," Allura said coming to stand beside him.

Lance looked at her with a forced expression, "Yeah. I guess so."

Allura put her hand on his, this time he didn't flinch away. He just looked at her with pained blue eyes. As she studied him now, she noticed he appeared to look more so like Casimir had. The white locks around his head and the faded sickle marks on his cheeks were any indicator.

"I'm proud of you," Allura told him honestly, the words evident by her face, "I am so proud of you as Lance or as Casimir. Both are my baby brother. Whatever happens Lance, you must know that I love you."

Lance visibly swallowed, he nodded, but said nothing in reply. That was fine with Allura, she could feel the gratitude coming from him and the care he felt for her.

"Your hair is, it has white locks in it," Allura told him gently, "And it appears that your sickle marks are there on your face, although a bit transparent."

Lance moved his hand to touch his cheek where he assumed the sickle marks would be. Once the tips of his index and middle finger came in contact with the barely visible mark, he jerked his hand away. He felt it against his fingers and if he focused enough, noticed the difference on his cheek through movement.

The blue paladin shrugged, he smiled casually, "Hopefully the new hair and marks will help me win over some hearts."

Lance winked at her and Allura could only roll her eyes.

* * *

Keith had been spaced out for the majority of their time after fixing the Teladuv, it was hardly noticed by the other Paladins and Alteans except for Shiro and even Lance. The Red Paladin had spent a lot of his time thinking about the blade he possessed, the one that his mother had left behind and about what Shiro said when they stranded not long ago.

 _Your mother had to go Keith, it was her time._

HIs dad never said whether or not his mother died or if she had abandoned them. Only that his mother was gone. The only hint Keith had was his dad telling him that she left the blade for him. Despite Keith's desperation to know more about her, he never had the heart to ask. Once his dad died when he was still a kid, any hope of answers was long gone.

 _I want you to lead Voltron_.

Shiro had said when he was on death's door that he wanted Keith to be the leader should anything happen to him. But Keith did not want to be a leader, he did not want the paladins to follow him. That was Shiro's job, to guide them, all of them. It was not his role to play.

"Keith should go with you."

Keith jerked out his trance then, he looked to the owner of the voice to see Lance talking to Shiro. The base of the Blade of Marmora had sent them the route to get inside, but only to allow two people to go. It was obvious Shiro would go, but who he would bring with him was called into question. Or perhaps not.

He had been paying close attention beforehand, when they spoke about the base's location. Between two black holes with a star at its center. Perfect defense or the perfect trap. Hunk and Allura did not want to go through with this, but Keith recalled his outburst. They had to do this, they had no other option.

"Even though he's a hot head and could likely shoot first then ask questions later," Lance continued with a sly smile, "The Red Lion is the best when it comes to needing a timely escape. With Zarkon still connected to the Black Lion, Shiro shouldn't fly it near their base."

Keith raised an eyebrow at Lance. Usually the Blue Paladin was quick to write him off or go on about their rivalry. Though Keith knew Lance wasn't his favorite person, the now Altean held something against him from the Garrison. Recently that seemed to have faded away with the revelation.

Lance was still the same, he joked around, talked a lot like he used, but everyone noticed it was forced. LIke he was trying too hard to act the same. And all the white locks that made a crown line around Lance's head wasn't helping. Though Lance had to admit, he thought it looked cool.

When it came to Voltron however, he was a lot more serious. He still joked around, made his remarks, but was quicker in terms of getting down to business. Not to mention his decision making was good, better than it had been in the past.

"And the Red Lion can withstand the heat of that star better than others," Pidge pointed out.

"It's settled, let's go," Shiro said.

 **Forty Vargas later**

The Paladins and Alteans had waited for awhile. Coran, Hunk and Pidge had been trying to get in contact with the Red LIon, but there had been a lot of gravitational interference, along with the solar flares. However when Red started moving, they were able to get an eye on the location of the two paladins. The problem came in when they discovered the Red Lion was attacking the base.

Lance felt a knot form in his stomach, Pidge and Hunk looked at Lance and Allura alarmed. They knew coming here was a gamble, but the each had to admit they hoped for the best and this was not it. The castle was gearing up to move into position and help the Red LIon, however Shiro had radioed in.

"Princess," he called, "We're coming in. We're bringing someone you should meet."

Pidge and Hunk cheered at that when the Red Lion came into view. Coran sighed with relief and Lance smiled happily, Shiro and Keith were just fine.

Though Allura was relieved to know two of her paladins were safe, she had to wonder just exactly who Shiro was bringing onboard. And she was incredibly curious about why the Red Lion had been attacking the base.

When the Red Lion landed, Keith and Shiro exited with a Galra, who called himself Kolivan. He stood before Allura and the Paladin for a moment, his eyes quickly scanning over each of them.

"Princess Allura," he said, his gaze flickered to Lance as he genuflected, "It is good to see that the rumors are true. You are still alive after all these years. Prince Casimir, it is a surprise to see you here as well. No one has spoken of your return with the Paladins."

Lance winced at Kolivan's words, but said nothing. Allura noticed Lance's discomfort and narrowed her eyes at Kolivan. She was surprised that Lance was recognizable as Casimir when he only had locks of white hair and barely seen sickle marks. Not to mention, the last time anyone had seen Casimir, the prince of Altea had barely entered his pubescent years.

Though the princess wanted to question the Galra, she decided against it. The attention would only make Lance more uncomfortable, not to mention there were other more pressing matters to discuss.

"Zarkon is still alive as well it would seem," commented Allura, her tone took a darker turn, " Can we consider you our ally in the fight against him?"

"Yes, but we have little time to discuss this," said Kolivan as he stood to his full height.

To everyone's surprise, Lance spoke, "Zarkon's onto your spies isn't he?"

Kolivan nodded to the prince, "I had received word from our spy inside the Galran hierarchy. They have become aware of our presence, how did you know prince?"

Lance shifted in his spot, he looked at Allura, "When I found the knife Zarkon had given me, I also found notes that he had me write. Ways that they would sniff out traitors and spies, battle tactics and more. Based on his recent movements and some… energy differences, it makes sense that Zarkon had found a spy."

Allura nodded to Lance, then turned to look at Kolivan, "How does this affect us?"

"Our timetable has been moved up," Kolivan answered, "We need to get started, now."

The plan was far from simple, but it was brilliant and would bring a decisive end to Zarkon if all moving parts were executed correctly. Shiro, Allura, Kolivan and a few other blades stood around the hologram of Zarkon's ship, which was identical to the shape of Galra's crest. Shiro, Kolivan and Allura had done most of the talking during this meeting, Hunk and Pidge had been further off to the side.

Keith was standing opposite to the 'leaders' as he studied the blueprint of Zarkon's ship. The plan would be a good one, that much he knew, but if too many things went wrong, there was hardly any wiggle room. Any error could mean the end of the entire mission and cause a devastating blow to the Paladins and the Blades.

Though the Red Paladin had been a little more than distracted, he was still aware of what was happening around him. His violet eyes flickered to Lance, who was standing a few feet away from Allura, several locks of his hair mirrored that of his siblings all white hair.

The change in hairstyle hadn't been mentioned by the Paladins until Lance had said it himself, saying he was digging the new look. However he said if all his hair turned white, he wouldn't be thrilled, but at least it would different.

All things considered, Lance was handling the adjustment much better his running away episode and him taking over the wormhole to get them away from Zarkon. Lance was doing his best, Keith and the others knew that, but they also knew something else was going on.

Lance looked at Keith then with a small smile. As it turned out, Lance wasn't the only part alien onboard the castle of lions. Originally Keith had wanted to keep it a secret, especially from Allurra. No one here hated the Galra, but none of them liked the Galra either, including Keith. He had spent his time going over his viewpoint of all Galra, how most of them were cruel and on the wrong side of the war. The Blades made him see a bit different when they were first introduced and after the revelation of his heritage, he wasn't sure what to think.

"I think we've got something here," Shiro commented, "It's dangerous and there are a lot of moving parts, but if we can coordinate everything just right, then-"

"Zarkon's reign will be at an end and the savagery that's poisoned our universe can finally be cleansed," said Kolivan, a tone of finality, "You've done it Shiro."

Shiro offered him a smile, he extended his hand, "We did it together."

Allura spoke then, "As long as we all stick to the plan, it should work."

"Allura," whispered Lance in slight warning.

The princess saw him from the corner of her eye, but did not look at him. She knew that her prejudice was getting in the way, yet she did not care. Her mind had been made up.

"It will work," Kolivan replied, "Perhaps then you'll learn that not all Galra are as bad as Zarkon."

Allura glanced at Keith then as she recalled the words he had told them, about the revelation he had learned.

 _My dad gave me this blade, he said it belonged to the my mother. Only someone with Galran heritage can awaken these blades and that's what I did when I was searching for answers there._

 _You're half Galran._

 _Yes, I guess I am._

"I hope not," said Allura quietly.

A voice on the screen, the Galra named Antok, spoke, "Ulaz was right to trust you all."

Shiro replied, "He sacrificed everything to bring us together. Let's honor him by taking down Zarkon."

Hunk, who had been sleeping during most of the meeting, asked the group, "So what's the plan?"

Lance grinned, a spark filled his eyes, "Hunk buddy, I'm glad you asked. Allow me to explain."

Lance gestured to the ship, "First we're going to infect Zarkon's ship with a virus. Then we make an extra large wormhole, which will accomplished by myself and Allura, and we will lure Zarkon inside of it. This will zap him a bajillion light years away."

"Then," Lance shouted, before lowering his voice, "when he pops out on the other side all like 'oh, why doesn't my ship work?' Voltron swoops in and kicks his butt! We won for all the time! It's amazing."

"Wow," Hunk said with a sigh, "So this is it."

"The only question is, when do we strike," asked Pidge from her spot beside Hunk.

Coran pulled up some schematics as he explained, "As soon as we build a teladuv big enough to wormhole Zarkon's ship."

"Aw man, the teladuv again? Wait does that mean we need more scaultrite," asked Hunk with a frown.

Allura answered him, "That's only one of the many things we'll need."

"AM I sensing a trip to the space mall here," Hunk said hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," Coran told him somberly, "This is gonna take a lot more scualtrite than we can find in any Unilu shop. For this plan to succeed, we're going to need to split up. We all have a task to do. Keith and Hunk, you two are in charge of getting the scualtrite."

Hunk and Keith nodded, the gravity of the situation weighing on their shoulders.

Coran continued, his gaze fell to Lance first, "Lance, Pidge and Shiro, you will be going to Beta Traz. This is one of the most secure prisons in the universe and inside is someone important we're going to need. The prisoners name is Slav, a brilliant scientist and technician who will be instrumental in getting this teladuv up and running. Don't forget Lance, as soon as you have acquired Slave-"

"I'll meet Allura at Balmera to get a powerful crystal," Lance said, he looked at Allura, "We've got this."

"Good. In the meantime I will be at Olkarion helping to oversee the construction of the teladuv," Coran said with a nod.

"That's everything then, it's time to move," said Shiro.

"If anyone of us fails," Coran said bitterly, "the entire plan fails."

Lance spoke, a new confidence and optimism in him, "Good thing none of us will fail."

The Paladins and Alteans went down to the launch bay where the yellow lion was waiting. Hunk and Keith said their farewells to everyone, though Allura did not say goodbye to Keith. The revelation was still too much for her to bare and she could not see past it. Lance assured Keith she would come around, but the red paladin wasn't so sure.

Once the yellow was gone, it was time for the blue lion to take off. Originally, only Pidge and Shiro were supposed to get Slav while Lance was to stay with Allura to get the crystal. However given the size of Beta Traz along with needing someone to be overhead guide, Lance was needed there as another body to search the place.

Hopefully they would find Slav easily enough allowing Lance enough time to get to Balmera to help find the crystal big enough for the teladuv. The size of this wormhole could be opened by one person, but the problem was the strain it would place could be devastating if not distributed.

Without Lance, Allura would just have to do it on her own and hope for the best that it does not take too much from her. With Lance, the wormhole would have a better chance of stabilizing and neither Altean would face any horrible side effects.

The only issue that this would cause would be Lance having to make it to the Blue lion as quickly as possible once through so Voltron could be formed. It had been decided that Voltron would be formed once Zarkon's ship was through the wormhole, not a moment sooner.

"Lance," Allura said softly.

The Altean siblings were standing on the side while Pidge and Shiro were still talking to Coran about the upcoming mission.

"Yes," Lance answered.

Allura took a breath, "Be safe out there. If it were up to me, I would stop you from going, but I know you're needed. Just, just come back."

Lance offered her a small smile, "No worries, I'll be back before you know it and we'll be getting that crystal together"

"We will," Allura said, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you. Please return to me."

Lance returned her hug, he gave her a squeeze, "I promise…. I love you too."

Allura choked back tears at his words. Their relationship was still shaky at best, not as strong as either would have liked. Yet to hear this meant the universe to Allura. Everything would work out, Zarkon would be defeated and all would be right with the universe again. She just knew it.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is more of a filler chapter, but I had fun writing it. Plus it let's me put a lot of things out there that wouldn't be originally discussed.**

 **Sidenote, but some explaining. Now fair warning, I have no idea how the ages and years or anything with time works for Alteans except for a few words, like quintants. I researched for Allura and Coran's age to help, Allura is described as teenager by the staff and Coran is actually six hundred years old. We know that a thousand deace-phoebs is ten thousand years. One year to Alteans is ten for earth, at least in translation. So, Allura is around 130-140 years, 13-14 deac-phobes and Casimir is only nine in the first flashback. I'm still working out the ages, anyway I'll address that soon enough.**

 **Alright enough chat, here's the next albeit really short chapter. For the Americans, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 _"Casimir, if you don't get down from there right this instant!"_

 _"Or what," taunted Casimir with an impish smile, "Please enlighten me, what will you do? Mother and father have told me to continue practicing my abilities, I am certain uncle would approve as well."_

 _Allura narrowed her eyes at him, "I can guarantee that neither father or mother would approve of their youngest climbing around the chandelier, get down."_

 _"I'm inclined to agree with your sister my prince, your parents would not approve of this," commented a new voice, belonging to Zarkon._

 _Allura sighed as she faced the Galra family friend, "Please get him down from there uncle. As you can see I'm not having any success."_

 _Zarkon chuckled heartily, "Not to worry. I'm sure he'll be down in no time without a scratch. Isn't that right Casimir?"_

 _An exasperated sigh escaped the nine deca-phoeb old boy. He peered through the glass pieces of the chandelier to look at his sister and mentor below. There was no harm in what he was doing, it wasn't like he was going to break the chandelier or injure himself. No, no, he was training, preparing. Just like he was taught._

 _"Why must I," questioned Casimir, "I am simply being prepared. Should an attacker come, I will be able to effectively hide here or take them by surprise."_

 _"We have training areas and classes for that exact purpose," hissed Allura, her eyes alight with annoyance._

 _Casimir growled, "We won't always be in the safety of training room."_

 _"Enough you two," Zarkon interrupted before either sibling could send another retort, "While it is good to use your environment to your advantage, it is also good during an exercise to know when to stop. You've done enough for now, come down here. That is an order."_

 _Casimir sighed heavily again, but did as he was told. He slipped through the chandelier until he was hanging from one of the bars in place. Once his entire body was dangling from there, much to Allura's horror and Zarkon's amusement, he swung back and forth to gain momentum. He released hold after a few swings and landed gracefully onto the balcony not far away. He leaned over the railing to look at his relatives below._

 _"I got down," said Casimir._

 _Allura shook her head, "I cannot take watching you any longer. I'm getting Coran to do it."_

 _Casimir rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I don't need a babysitter."_

 _"You practically are a baby," said Allura with her nostrils flared, "Not even the age of maturity yet."_

 _Casimir felt his cheeks grow hot, "Hey! Who cares, I'll get there eventually. Besides, you're only a few deca-phoebs ahead of me!"_

 _Zarkon sighed as the two continued to go back forth. Though he would have loved to have a child, he was unsure how he would cope with the noise. It seemed far too much of a hassle, he would have to ask Alfor how he accomplished this feat._

 _"Okay okay, break it up," Zarkon ordered looking between the pair, "Both of you apologize to each other."_

 _A chorus of no's and no way's filled his ears._

 _"Fine, I guess that means we won't go out for nunvill and shoom pie," Zarkon said with a dramatic sigh, "Such a shame too. You both are doing so well with your training and studies. It only seemed fitting to reward you, but if you cannot even act maturely with one another..."_

 _Casimir and Allura could only stare at Zarkon with wide eyes before apologizing profusely to each other. This made Zarkon smile triumphantly, and Honerva always said he was terrible with children._

Lance jerked himself awake as the center of his forehead began to throb. The memories would come and go, but every time they did it was more immersive when he went in and painful when he came out. He hated how he couldn't stop the memories from taking over, he feared that one would happen in the middle of battle and he wouldn't be able to help his team. Or worse he cause some problem because he wasn't paying attention.

It was lucky that he was just flying to a destination now and that they were still far away, but even then it wasn't good. Especially if a surprise attack came and he wasn't ready. Not to mention the possibility of returning to the age of thirteen was daunting. He hoped that theory was nothing more than a crazy idea, but at this point he knew anything was possible.

 _Lance, are you alright?_

Lance looked around the cockpit at that, Pidge and Shiro were in one of the rooms down below doing who knows what. The voice sounded like it was next to him, but more echoey and distinctly like Allura, which slightly freaked him out.

"That you Allura," Lance asked tentatively.

 _I can't believe that worked._

"What worked, you talking in my head," Lance asked leaning back in his chair, "If you wanted to talk, you could have radioed in the comms."

 _I could have, but when I saw that memory from you, I had to try something._

Lance blinked in surprise, "Wait, you saw that? Us and Zarkon?"

 _Yes, yes I did. I remember that day. You were being such a brat, you were always getting into trouble._

"I think you mean I was being fun," Lance corrected with a smile.

Allura's face appeared before him on the monitor, she scoffed, "That was not fun. You were a troublemaker, both of us had our moments I will admit, but you more so. I grew out of it, you never did."

Lance shrugged, "That sounds right… Did you really see that same memory?"

Allura's expression turned somber, "I was trying to get a read on you when I was drawn into the memory. I forced you out instead of letting the rest play."

"Why, I thought I was supposed to let them play," Lance questioned a bit suspicious.

Allura inhaled, "I know."

"What are you hiding," Lance decided to ask.

"I wish I could hide our past relationship with Zarkon from you," Allura admitted with a defeated look, "Him and Honerva were like family. I know I shouldn't keep things from you-"

"You just want to help, I get it," Lance interrupted with a soft grin, "Why don't you show me some memories?"

Allura's brows rose in surprise, "What?"

Lance shifted in his seat and glanced away, "You know, you got drawn into my memory. Maybe you could draw me into some of yours and show some things from before..."

When Lance looked back Allura, he was a little shocked to see tears forming in her eyes. He wasn't sure if those were sad or happy tears. However the smile that grew on her face told him what he needed to know.

"Yes, I'd love to," Allura answered honestly, "I know the perfect place to start. Close your eyes, follow the tug when you feel it."

Lance nodded once. He closed his eyes and leaned back waiting for the tugging feeling in his stomach. Once he felt it, he let it lead him through the darkness until he was enveloped in a memory.

When Lance opened his eyes, he saw a field of magenta flowers, with green grass everywhere along with clear blue skies. The breeze ruffled his hair as he took in a breath, the air was smelled sweet and floral, like honeysuckles.

"You'll never catch me, hahaha!"

"Just you wait until I get my hands on you!"

Lance spun around to see two children, both with matching white hair on their heads. A little girl who looked around the age of twelve and a boy who looked around the age of seven, or perhaps younger. Lance made the connection, it was himself and Allura. Seeing the memories from this angle was weird for Lance, but Coran mentioned it was an Altean thing that had to do with quintessence. It made no sense to him, but he didn't care enough to ask more.

"Mother and father brought us here all the time when we were younger," said Allura beside him.

Lance jumped, but quickly recovered when he looked at her.

"This was the place where we could all escape the pressures of being royalty," Allura said wrapping her arms around her stomach, "Where we could be a regular family."

"You miss it a lot, don't you," asked Lance even though he knew the answer.

Allura looked at him with a weak smile, "I do miss it more than I could ever describe. Wishing it to be the present will not change that this time is gone."

Lance looked back at the laughing children. How the boy had tackled the girl to the ground, both laughing hysterically as they fell into the grass. A wry smile formed on his face. They looked happy, this whole other life looked amazing. Yet he could remember hardly any of it.

"Allura," Lance started hesitantly.

"Yes," answered Allura, moving to stand in front of him she continued, "What is it?"

Lanced swallowed the lump in his throat, "I-I. Do you think we'll be okay? Like, like that?"

Allura glanced at the laughing children with a forlorn expression as she thought over Lance's words. It had crossed her mind whether or not she and Lance would grow close to each other again. However she was not certain and did not want to focus on the idea in case it never happened. Nothing would make her happier than to have her brother be close to her again, but she knew that it may not occur and she would make peace with that. The princess looked back Lance, a gentle smile on her face.

"Maybe not like them," Allura said softly, "but I do believe we are on a good path."

Lance said nothing in response to her. He closed his eyes, memories of running around with his siblings on earth filled his vision. He could see his sisters and brothers, he saw his parents on the side laughing with each other at the antics of their children. His grandparents were there too, all sitting and chatting with each other. The lump in his throat seemed to thicken at the thoughts of them, he missed them so much it hurt his heart to be so far away. What would he say when he saw them again? If he ever saw them again.

"I've got to go," Lance said suddenly, he stepped away from Allura, "There could be an attack at any moment."

Allura tried to hide the hurt she felt, but was unsuccessful, "Oh well, okay. Good luck."

Lance thought about apologizing for the sudden change, but after the blink of his eyes, she was gone and he was left alone in the cockpit of the Blue lion.

Lance sighed heavily, what a mess.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay guys, this is super important. I recently read a fanfic about Lance becoming the Black Paladin and fell in love with the idea, however I am unsure if I want that to happen in this fic or if I should write another Fanfiction for it separately.** **Please review or PM your thoughts on what you think! Should Lance become the Black Paladin here or should a new story be in the works? Alright peeps, enjoy the next chapter!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Hunk and Keith were assigned to go to the belly of a weblum to retrieve the scaultrite. Though Hunk tried to make small talk and dance over the Galra bombshell, Keith was not to willing to participate. He wanted to focus on the mission at hand and not the fact that his heritage was Galran. The video Coran had sent them should have been helpful if it wouldn't have skipped around so often.

This job was incredibly important, they could not afford to be the ones to make a misstep here. Too many lives in the universe would be relying on them. When they arrived to where the weblum should be located, they found a graveyard of what appeared to be dead planets. Before either of them could question further on what could have happened here, the giant creature made an appearance.

* * *

It was up to Lance, Pidge and Shiro to rescue the scientist named Slav, someone who was going to crucial in building the gigantic teladuv. Though Lance didn't believe this mission would be terribly difficult, he had to wonder if everything would go according to plan. Pidge seemed to be restless, he had no idea why, but if she was nervous about something, Lance had a feeling maybe he should be more concerned as well.

He sent Pidge and Shiro to the facility first, he would wait for them out here for the time being until the cost was clear for him to land his lion without being detected. Once the sensors were down, Lance did a sonic scan of the facility to find the best place to land Blue and create a map of the entire area that Pidge would decode for all of them to see.

He landed Blue above Shiro and Pidge's location with a satisfied smile, this would be easy enough and he hoped the mission would stay that way. However his smile faded when the doors closed, an echo of a voice that sounded as if it were right next to his ear.

 _Casimir… You're alive._

A sharp pain went through his skull as he glanced around rapidly. He was alone in the cockpit, no one else. The echo sounded to clear to be a memory, panic started to build in him as he wondered why that happened. He shook his head, this couldn't happen now. He had a mission to complete. The lingering feeling of someone watching him did not leave him for several minutes, but he tried his best to ignore the feeling. He had to focus on the mission at hand.

* * *

Zarkon had been spending who knows how long with the sages, absorbing the lightning in order to locate the Black Lion. However, he had not had any luck in finding the machine and demanded more energy be placed upon him. It was then he felt it. Though the magical arts had never been his strong suit, he recalled the feeling of his young apprentice using some of that same magic on him once before, many years ago. The memories flowed through his mind easily enough, but it felt foreign.

" _Trust me Zarkon," said a grinning child, "This will be fun."_

" _I fail to see how you performing some weird magic will be fun," Zarkon remarked dryly looking down at the boy._

 _Casimir replied with a bright smile, "You are going to feel my essence and Allura's with this trick."_

" _And this is useful because…" Zarkon questioned with a raised brow._

 _Allura huffed, "It's only useful if you have the ability, which I'm sorry Zarkon you don't."_

" _Well if he ever does get magic, he'll know what our essences feel like," argued Casimir, he looked up at Zarkon, "Are you ready?"_

Zarkon smiled, " _Go for it."_

Zarkon's glowing eyes widened slightly as he said, "Casimir…. You're alive."

He felt the pulse of panic from the boy's essence before it slipped away from him, like grains of sand. Though Zarkon knew of the princess's return, their had not been any reports or sightings of the Altean prince. Zarkon had assumed he perished along with the rest of Altea, but this magic claimed otherwise. A new plan struck Zarkon, if he could get his hands on the Altean prince, he could turn the tide of this war.

"Hit me again," ordered Zarkon.

The sages did as instructed, sending more electricity to him. After a few moments, the darkness from his eyes faded until he could the Blue paladin standing the Green and Black paladins. At first he was confused by the sight of them, but realized the one in blue was Casimir. The locks of white hair, faded blue sickle marks and the essence coming from him was enough to confirm that this was Prince Casimir. The one in question looked directly at Zarkon, before the images faded away.

"A change of plans," said Zarkon as the lightning faded, "We need to find the Blue Paladin."

* * *

Pidge had been working on navigating Shiro and Lance through the prison without getting them caught, though she was also focused on trying to locate her brother. And after several long minutes of scanning, a match was found. After all this time, she couldn't believe it. Footage of her brother fleeing with some other aliens, rebels. There was a chance he was still out there and she couldn't wait to bring him home. It would take time, that much was true, but now she had a little more hope about finding him.

It wasn't until they were all in the blue lion that conversation turned a bit sour. Pidge may have been hopeful about finding him, but fear and doubt gripped her heart. There was no telling how long ago this video had been taken, there was still no way for her to know if he was even still alive with the rebels. She didn't want to think that her search would end with hearing a story of how he died or finding his body. Of course she didn't want that, but she had to be prepared in case that was the answer she received.

"What if I don't find him time," Pidge said aloud, more to herself than anything.

Shiro knew how important finding her brother and father was, having any hope at all was a big step, but at the same time it would lead to more doubt and fear. He wanted to find his crew to, more than anything he wanted to know they were okay. However deep down he feared that it would be too late and they were looking for a story, not them.

Shiro placed a hand on her shoulder, "We'll get to him before it's too late."

Pidge jerked away, "You don't know that for sure. He could be gone already."

"Pidge, I know it's hard-" Lance started, but was cut off.

Pidge barked at him, "You couldn't possible know its hard or understand what it feels like. Your sister is here! He could be out there, alone or maybe he isn't, maybe I'm too late and he's gone."

Lance frowned at her, a forlorn look on his face. Though he had Allura, it wasn't the same relationship he had with his sisters back on earth. He grew up with them, spent years with them, he could barely remember having Allura in his life. Part of him thought it was unfair for Pidge to say that, but he understood she was just in pain. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to constantly wonder what happened to the ones you loved, knowing they were out there so far away and then just gone.

An echo of words Allura had spoken to him, days after the discovery of his true heritage. And for the first time, he really understood how she must have been feeling.

 _I thought I was too late, that you were gone forever._

Those had been her words, the fears she had about him. It was the same fear that Pidge was facing now. Allura he supposed had been lucky.

"I couldn't imagine constantly wondering where my brothers or sisters were, that fear would be all I could focus on," Lance said sadly, he looked st Pidge, "I know you're hurting Pidge, and nothing I say will reassure you that he's okay, but I believe we'll find him. That footage is proof that he's out there. One way or another, we'll get your brother home."

Pidge looked at Lance and Shiro, but said nothing else. The rest of the ride back to the castle was filled with silence, though Slav's talking filled the silence and was slowly driving Shiro up the wall. Both Pidge and Lance wouldn't deny that it amused the both of them. Lance contacted Allura to let her know what was going on, that they accomplished their mission. She was glad to hear it, and to see that they were all safe from harm.

The transmission ended soon enough and the silence in the cockpit returned. However not much time passed when she contacted them about an emergency, Voltron was needed to fight the monster that attacked the Balmera before. The Blue and Yellow lions appeared through the wormhole, ready to fight.

* * *

Lance had not been able to fully shake the feeling he had felt from before they found Slav, about hearing the voice of Zarkon so close to him. Part of him wanted to tell Allura, but at the moment he was little annoyed with her to actually have a conversation about it.

The way she had been acting with Keith was getting on his nerves, he understood her dislike for the Galra because of everything they had done before, but Keith couldn't be held accountable for their actions. It was wrong to treat him so harshly. She wouldn't acknowledge his question on the bridge nor would she give him credit for getting the scaultrite from the Weblum. It was just wrong.

"Allura," Lance huffed as he stood on the bridge, his arms folded, "You can't keep doing that."

Allura wouldn't look at him, "You may not remember all the horrors Zarkon and the Galra have done before, but you have seen what they are capable of."

Lance gripped his arms tighter, "Yes, I'm aware of it. However that was Zarkon and other Galra, Keith didn't even know he was Galra until like a day or so ago. Do you not remember our very last conversation all those years ago?"

Allura turned her head to look at him so quickly, Lance felt a pain in his neck, "You have no right to bring that up."

"I have every right, I was there," Lance replied sourly, "Stop being so hard on Keith, he's still the same guy he was before. You can't punish him for his heritage anymore than anyone could punish me for being Altean."

Allura opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. Even though she wanted to say something further, she decided against it. She could understand that her feelings were uncalled for. It was just at this moment she couldn't help, but channel her anger at Keith. His people were the reason her entire civilization was gone, the reason the universe was in such disarray.

The princess sighed heavily. She was angry with Keith for something he couldn't change. It was just everytime she looked or thought of Keith, all she could picture were the horrors his people had inflicted on the universe, on her.

"The Galra were the reason father sent you away, the reason the universe is in a constant state of chaos and tyranny," Allura said, her eyes cold, "We cannot trust the Galra, the partnership with the Blade of Marmora could very well be a set up."

"Allura, you're being paranoid," Lance said softly.

"Someone has to be," Allura remarked.

Lance shook his head, "I don't think the Blades mean harm, they want the same thing. Keith wants the same thing. Would the Red lion really have chosen him if he wasn't a good person?"

Allura's expression turned darker, "Have you forgotten so quickly that Zarkon was once the Black Paladin, the leader of Voltron?"

Lance inhaled, "He was infected by quintessence, he changed. Keith isn't like that, none of us are."

"You can't know for sure," Allura muttered, more to herself than to Lance.

Lance's shoulders lost the tension he had been holding as he watched a wave of emotions flicker across her face. She was just afraid of the unknown and she remembered the betrayal, he didn't. All he had were some fragments of memories to go off of, most of them were pleasant and none about the attack on the castle. Though he did have a glimpse of it a few nights ago.

"I don't like this tension between you and Keith, we're all a team and we have to work together," Lance explained, his arms falling to his sides.

Allura looked at her brother with a pained expression. His brown hair had a few more white locks that had made an appearance, his blue sickle marks were more visible than before. With each passing quintant, he looked more and more like she imagined Casimir. Fighting with him had been easy when they were children, but that was when they had all the time in the world.

Their time was much shorter now, she couldn't waste any of it on arguing. Besides if this was so important to him, there was no reason she couldn't at least be civil with Keith for the time being.

"I understand, really and I, I will do my best not to let my feelings to get in the way," Allura said honestly.

The smile Lance wore made Allura feel more confident that she would be able to keep her word. Keeping Lance happy was a priority, mostly because she didn't want the foundations of their new relationship to be filled with strife. Dealing with Keith would still be hard, but she would remain civil for her brother's sake. To her surprise, Lance wrapped his arms around her.

It had just occurred to her that her little brother really wasn't little, he was much taller than her and she knew if he remembered their childhood more, he would mock her insistently for it. She returned his embrace, they would be okay. That much she knew. An alarm rang out in the castle causing the siblings to separate.

"What's going on," Lance asked in surprise.

While remained in his spot, a cold feeling washing over him, as Allura moved over to the control panels. Lance tried not to focus on the feeling, but it was overwhelming him. It was the same feeling he had when he landed Blue at the prison, when he heard Zarkon's voice next to his ear. He pushed the thought from his mind choosing to focus on his sister.

Allura pulled up what the censors were picking up to see the beast that Voltron had fought not long ago. The one that vanished before they could destroy it.

"Paladins," Allura shouted, "The beast is back! Get Voltron, you must end this beast!"

Shiro spoke to the comms, "We're on it. Paladins let's go!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2019 goes swimmingly for you guys!** **I decided that Lance will not be the black paladin in this fic. That will be a separate story that is currently under outlining and edits. Thank you for all the support, you Paladins are the best. At first I was worried this chapter was a bit rushed, but the missing pieces here will be revisited next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

When Lance woke up, his head throbbed with pain. The floor beneath him was cold, metal. He jolted up to see he was in a cell and not in the blue lion fighting the crazy beast. His eyes widened as the memories came flooding in from before he blacked out. Flying, he was flying Blue, he had been with Voltron and then fighting off Galra when somehow how they got inside Blue.

He shut his eyes, he brought his fingers to right temple to feel dried blood. All images were pouring in, mixed and muddled together. He couldn't figure out what happened exactly, but he knew one thing for sure, he needed to get out of here. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, trying to ignore the ache from his temple and the pit in his stomach as reality settled in. He had been captured by the Galra, had no way to contact the others, nor could he feel blue.

His heart clenched as fear started coursing through his veins. Dread started to cloud his mind, but he remembered Allura speaking to him before and finding him when he ran away. Though he had never tried to contact her, he hoped that she would hear him when he screamed her name in his mind.

 _Allura! Allura, can you hear me? Please answer!_

"The prisoner is awake." That was a voice from outside, a guard Lance assumed.

"Alert Zarkon and Haggar."

Lance swallowed thickly at that. Facing Zarkon or Haggar was not something he wanted to do, he had to find a way out of here. After looking around for any other possible escape routes, he came up empty handed and slightly panicked. If he was going to get out of here he would have to wait until they opened the door.

It was lucky his hands were not cuffed and neither were his ankles, this meant he could run and fight. Once he found a ship he could fly away or a communication center, he could send a signal to the others if Allura couldn't hear his call. The cell door opened abruptly cutting off his train of thoughts. Two Galra soldiers towered above him.

"Let's go prisoner," said the taller one.

Lance looked offended, "Who you calling prisoner?"

Before they could respond, he attacked them. Even though he didn't remember learning any of these moves as he dodged their attacks and threw punches of his own, he wouldn't question it. After a few hits, he managed to escape them and ran away through the halls. Dark halls with low red or purple lights that were not helping his headache as he ran. If he had to fight his way out of here he would.

He skidded to a stop, something came to mind he hadn't considered before. What if he wasn't the only who was captured? He searched his memory to see if maybe some else had been captured, but it gave him no information about the others. Part of him cursed himself for not thinking to find the others, what if they were nearby and he just left them? Guilt gnawed at his stomach, he had to go back.

"The Blue Paladin has escaped," shouted a guard who spotted him, "Stop him."

Lance sighed, "Oh well that's just great."

He took off running down another hallway, he called out to the others hoping they would respond. Tried using the comms, only to hear static. He shouted for them. They never answered. A sharp right later and he found himself in front of several guards, each with some type of weapon. His bayard was gone, he had no weapon and was virtually defenseless. He put his fists up anyway.

"Blue Paladin, you are to come with us," said the guard standing at the front.

Lance hissed, "No way am I going to Zarkon or the witch Haggar!"

"And here I thought you might be pleased to see me."

Lance's entire body froze in place, the voice was too clear to be a memory. He knew if he turned around, Zarkon would be standing not too far away. He did not want to face him, but he couldn't stay like this forever. Steeling himself, Lance found whatever courage he had left and turned around to face the Emperor of the Galra. He did not look like the memory, but Lance already knew that based off of seeing him before. However seeing him this close was not comforting in the least.

"I am not afraid of you," Lance declared, his tone cold.

Zarkon replied flatly, "I would be disappointed if you were. I should have known you were alive Casimir. I would have come for you sooner."

"Don't call me that," Lance shouted, a burst of anger coming from him, "You have no right to call me that."

"It's your name," said Zarkon, "Guards, leave us. I need to speak with the Altran Prince alone."

Though the guards looked hesitant, they said Vrepit sa in unison before departing. Lance would have liked to take this chance to escape, but he forced himself to stay in his spot as Zarkon walked closer to him. Zarkon knowing his identity didn't faze him, ever since Lance felt like someone was watching he had a feeling Zarkon knew he was alive. Maybe he should have told Allura this, but he reminded himself she only would have worried further. This man was not the one from his faded memories.

"Are the others here," Lance asked though he did not expect Zarkon to answer, "What have you done with them?"

Zarkon shook his head, "You are the only one here. Though I imagine they are searching for you."

"What do you want," Lance asked next, his hands clenched into fists.

"You might be able to help me," commented Zarkon with a knowing look.

Lance growled, he shook his head, "I would never help you."

Zarkon responded smoothly, "You were eager to help as a child. Perhaps at that time you were more willing to listen. Haggar!"

Lance felt a cold grip engulf his body as he was forced to his knees. He struggled against the hold, but it was no use. An invisible force was in control now, his heart pounding harder and harder as his fear continued to rise.

"Take him to the chamber, you know what to do," said Zarkon looking down at Lance.

Blue eyes glared up at him, defiance written across his face as he kneeled before the Galra. Zarkon knew this rebellious act would not last long, after Haggar was done with him, he would see things from his point of view.

"Torture me all you want," shouted Lance, one last act of defiance before the darkness overcame him, "But I will never, _ever_ , help you!"

"We'll see," was all Zarkon said.

Spots clouded his vision, he called out to Blue.

* * *

Allura was without a doubt an absolute wreck on the inside at the capture of her brother, on the outside she remained as stoic as she could despite the terror she felt. She would not and could not lose him, not again. With the plan coming to halt in order for the Blue Paladin to be rescued, she had a terrible feeling. There was no telling what horrors Lance would be subjected to.

She wanted to question why the Galra took Lance and none of the other paladins. Zarkon had been after the Black Lion for ages, why not take it and Shiro as well? The only thing that made sense about it was that Zarkon knew his identity. The Blade of Marmora seemed to know his identity without introduction, but could that mean one of them had revealed this information to Zarkon. Stars, she hoped not.

"We're going to find him and take Zarkon down," Shiro said to her confidently, "I promise, we will bring Lance home."

To her credit, Allura did not look as terrified as she was, but the others knew how afraid she was. Believing he was dead for so long, having him back for a short while only to have him ripped away from her again. None of them could really understand what she was feeling right now. Of course they were all worried about Lance and wanted to get him back, but it was different attachments and feelings.

Hunk and Pidge wanted their friend back, Shiro wanted his mentee back and Keith, well Keith just wanted him back. Besides the Alteans, Keith seemed to be taking the loss of Lance the worst. All he cared about at this moment was finding Lance and bringing him back to the castle, bring him home where he was safe.

Allura nodded to Shiro, "I hope you're ri-"

 _Allura! Allura can you hear me? Please answer!_

A startled cry escaped her. Allura whipped her head around, the terror she felt from Lance jolting through her. She could feel him, could feel is panic and uncertainty, the desperation was consuming her. Just as soon as she felt him, she lost him.

Shiro places his hands on her upper arms, "Princess?"

"Lance," she whispered softly, "I-I heard him. He called out to me, but I lost him. I lost him."

She tried to focus on his fading presence, she called on him as best she could, but he was gone. No trace of his essence could be found now. Pain stabbed her heart at the thought she had lost him forever. Losing him was not something she wanted to ever happen again. She had to find him.

Shiro looked as helpless as he felt. When the beast had been destroyed, the Galra sent their fighters after them. There were far too many for Voltron, Shiro thought they would have a better chance if they split up. And it worked. Only until the Blue Lion was quickly overwhelmed and then Lance was gone. Shiro blamed himself. If he had kept Voltron in formation, Lance likely wouldn't have been taken.

"We're going to find him, he still has armor and Pidge is working on getting back in touch with it," Shiro said, he hoped he sounded reassuring and confident.

Allura sighed, but said nothing in return.

The Blue Lion came alive moments later, it's roar echoing throughout the castle. When Lance had been taken, the lion shut down as if all the power had been drained. Allura and Shiro rushed to the hangar, Keith, Pidge and Hunk were already there, watching as the lion stood at it's full height. Taking in a 'breath' before the lion roared with all the power it had left, the other lions following a beat after each other.

This was not a weird spectacle for the paladins to see, but now they needed to see what exactly the lions were trying to tell them. Keith stared up at Blue with a frown, then an image flashed through his find. It was Lance kneeling on the floor, Haggar behind him using her magic to subdue him as Zarkon towered over him.

The image quickly faded away, but Keith understood what Blue and now the other lions were trying to say.

Keith was the first to understand, "They know where Lance is. We need to get to our lions and go."

Shiro nodded, "Everyone to your lions, we'll follow Blue. She'll get us to our missing paladin."

"We don't have a plan to get him," Pidge pointed out with a frown.

"Who cares, Lance is out there and we are just sitting here," Keith snapped angrily.

Pidge wasn't bothered by his outburst as she said, "I'm worried about Lance to, but if we're going to get him back here, we need a plan."

Allura spoke next, "She's right. Paladins... make a plan on the way as you follow the Blue Lion. We have some locations of the Empire's fleet not too far away, a wormhole won't be necessary I hope."

"No, I'm not getting hints to the wormhole," Shiro agreed, "Once we're all in our lions, we'll come with a plan on the go. If the plan fails, we'll improvise."

Hunk suppressed a groan, he muttered, "I hate improvising."

"There's no time to wait, let's go," Keith said.

Once all the paladins were in their lions, Blue led them out of the castle. Allura wanted desperately to come, even tried to ride with Shiro, but it was decided she would stay with the castle. Of course she wanted to argue, but there was no time. If they needed an emergency exit, she would get the wormhole ready.

It made her feel helpless to be stuck here though, but she would do her job and be ready for when the Paladins needed aid. She clenched her jaw as she watched the lions disappear from her sight. They had to bring him back, they had to. Otherwise she would never forgive them or herself for allowing this happen.

* * *

When Zarkon's fleet came in their screens, Blue stopped so as not to get into the proximity of their censors. The lions hovered behind the Blue lion, their paladins speaking.

"So we have a plan now," Hunk asked anxiously, "Because just aimlessly going in there is not a good idea and I'm not a fan of bad ideas."

Keith spoke through the comms, "Relax Hunk. We'll get through this, get Lance and be back in no time to execute the plan to take down the empire once and for all."

Shiro said, "Listen up paladins. Pidge is currently is hacking into their systems to see where they are holding the prisoners. Once we know where he is, we can go in and come out. Keith, Hunk I want you to stay out here and be our defense while Pidge and I get inside to find Lance."

"You two can't cover all that ground if they decide to move in," Keith argued, "Hunk should stay out here as our defense, the three of us can cover more ground and find him faster."

"Don't leave me alone," Hunk shouted, his face panicked.

Shiro ignored Hunk and replied, "Keith, Red is the fastest and if we need a quick evac, your lion is our best bet while Hunk keeps attention elsewhere. You're staying out here."

Keith wanted to argue, he wanted to protest and shout and say he was going with them, but he swallowed those words. He grunted a fine and leaned back in his seat, arms folded across his chest. He refused to get in the way of helping Lance.

Pidge found a path to the ship so that they could get closer without being seen, so far she hadn't pinpointed where Lance was. She assumed this meant that his being prisoner was being kept a secret, she hoped that they didn't have the wrong ship. The red, yellow, black and blue lions stayed further away while green went forward. Pidge had cloaking technology working for her lion that the others had yet to receive. Shiro rode with her in silence until she spoke.

"I'm worried Shiro, the last thing I said to Lance was harsh," Pidge grimaced at the memory, "What if that was the last thing I said to him?"

Shiro placed his hand on her shoulder, "We're going to get Lance back. Stay focused in the moment, not the past or the possible future."

Pidge inhaled sharply, she nodded.

Getting inside without being detected was easier than either the paladins would have thought. Pidge continued her hacking as they remained in the hangar, Shiro kept a look out until finally she picked up on chatter.

A voice said through the static, "I heard the prisoner almost escaped. Who is it?"

"The Blue paladin I think. He should be with Haggar now."

Shiro's skin paled at that, he glanced a Pidge, "Where is Haggar on this ship?"

Pidge typed on her arm keypad, her eyes squinting behind her glasses until she found what she was looking for. "Here, I found her and the quickest path to her," Pidge said, she looked at Shiro with a determined expression.

Shiro nodded, "Let's go."

Pidge didn't show it, but she felt fear grip her heart at the thought of Lance being at the hands of a witch. She raced down the hall with Shiro by her side. They had to get to Lance soon and without being caught. Lucky the Galra seemed unaware of their presence and they wanted to keep it that way. Following the map she dug up was easy enough, but they weren't sure they were in the right area until a horrible sound filled the hall. It was low and muffled and at first, but as they followed it the sound only increased in volume. The sound of screaming forced the green and black paladin to stop.

The cry sounded just like-

"Lance," Pidge said, "We have to hurry."

"Come on," Shiro said running in the direction of the screams.

Shiro would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified for blue paladin. It was his fault that Lance got captured, he had to do something to make this right. He would make this right and would not let Lance be hurt anymore.

They stopped outside the door, luckily no guards were present which they thought was strange. However Shiro assumed it must be because Haggar didn't need guards, though it was weird her Druid's weren't out here. Unless they were inside with her helping to torture the blue paladin.

"What do we do Shiro," Pidge whispered, another scream piercing their hearts.

Shiro swallowed, he activated the comms, "Keith, Hunk. We need a distraction now. We need to get Haggar away from here, we can't take her on our own especially if she decides to use Lance as leverage for us to surrender."

Keith replied, "We're on it."

It hardly took a minute, but the sounds of explosions and alarms filled the once mostly quiet hall. Shiro and Pidge moved away from the door out of sight so they would not be seen. They hoped Haggar would leave, pleaded with the universe for her to leave. To their relief, the double doors opened after a second round of explosions. The witch walked out away from their hiding spot. Not wasting a second, Shiro and Pidge raced inside the room just before the door closed behind them.

In the center of the room was none other than the blue paladin, he looked up weakly, but no expression passed over his face. He tried to push himself up, but only managed to roll over slightly and fall off the examination table he had been lying on with a harsh thud.

Shiro and Pidge made it to his fallen form in an instant, his limp body giving on the impression he could have been dead if not for the shallow breaths he took. Shiro pulled him into his arms, he felt much lighter than he had before. However what caught their attention more than anything else was his appearance. His once tall stature was not shorter, he could have been the same height as Pidge now if Shiro was judging proportions correctly. His hair was more white than brown and clear blue sickle marks could be seen on his face.

Pidge stared at Lance horrified, "Lance, stay with us."

His eyes opened slightly, confusion on his face with a small bit of fear. Lance, this girl called him Lance. He wasn't sure who that was at first, but then remembered it was his name. No, that couldn't have been his name... This was his friend, from school. Garret right?

Recognition washed over him, but he felt so unsure, "You're, you're Pidge right?"

"Yeah, yeah of course," Pidge said incredulously, she wanted that to be a joke.

She wanted him to be joking, his expression told her he was not kidding around for once. He barely recognized her and that sent even more fear into Pidge than before. How could he not be sure who she was? He had been gone for less than three hours, what had they done to him?

Shiro frowned, "It's going to be okay Lance. We're going to get you out of here."

He blinked, "Lance, that's my name isn't it?"

Shiro tried not to show his fear at that comment, he smiled reassuringly, "Yeah buddy. Your name is Lance. And you remember me, Shiro."

Lance nodded slowly, "Yeah…. Shiro. A pilot, one of the best."

Shiro radioed the others, "We found Lance, but he doesn't look good. Haggar did something to him. Hunk, radio Allura and Coran."

"On it."

Lance's eyes lit up, he knew Allura and Coran for sure, "I know them… Allura, she's important and Coran, he's a friend."

Shiro nodded, "Yes. You do know them, you know all of us. I promise, you'll be okay."

Lance's eyelids fell, his breathing remained shallow and he was back asleep, his face slightly scrunched.

Shiro pulled Lance into his arms and with Pidge leading the way, they ran as far and as fast as they could.

By the time they made it back to the green lion, Lance had woken up again with a massive headache, but could recall basic information. He remembered everyone, even though he sounded uncertain when he said their names. His appearance was the most concerning part of this mess though his muddled memory was definitely something the other paladins were worried about.

Lance was bothered by his now short stature, but he was more concerned about the memories from his past as Casimir that seemed to overtaking the ones as Lance.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Alas, this chapter is on the shorter side, but some important stuff happens here along with some foreshadowing. Hope you paladins enjoy and figure out what on earth could be coming, or really what in the galaxy.**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

Lance felt wrong. His 'talk' with Haggar had been less than desirable, honestly there really wasn't much talking to go off of except her muttering to herself about what she was doing. He barely understood Altean, but he could decipher a good amount thanks to his past memories and Allura's present talks. It was weird that she was muttering to herself in Altean, but that wasn't the worst of what he heard. Barely he managed to learn that she planned to make him a child again, but take his memories away from a certain point in the past. What point exactly, Lance couldn't be sure, but he had an idea it was likely before Zarkon defected.

He looked in the mirror to study his new appearance. When he first started to look like Casimir, his hair was mostly brown with sparing white locks. Now it was inverted where it was practically all white except for a few brown spots. It didn't look awful, but Lance was starting to miss his old appearance and when he couldn't really feel the sickle marks on his cheeks. And he definitely missed his tall height, now he and Pidge were exactly the same size. It was incredibly weird and disconcerting.

Coran was looking through the scans to see if there was a way to reverse it, but his attention was split between helping Lance and working on the massive Teleduv. Lance understood that, he told Coran to put his energy there instead. Once Zarkon was defeated, then they could worry about his change in appearance. As it turned out, in this state Lance was now fourteen rather than seventeen. This had made things rather irritating at first, but he tried not to pay attention to it as best he could.

There was a mission coming up, he needed to focus. However that was difficult with Allura's eyes constantly glancing at him as if he were some ghost. He sighed to himself, he knew he shouldn't be so hard on her for it, but it couldn't be helped.

"Allura," Lance said with slight exasperation, "Just take a picture, then you can stare at it as much as you want."

The princess made herself known with a frown, Lance watched her in the reflection, "I'm sorry. It's just, so odd to see you like this. I had wondered how you might have looked had you gotten the chance to grow up, but seeing the real you opposed to an imaginary one…"

Allura looked away then, unsure of how to continue with the aching feeling in her chest. Shew knew that she should have been focusing on the mission at hand, the one that would take down Zarkon and defeat the Galra once and for all, but she couldn't. All she could think about was her brother now looking much younger and more like an Altean than before.

There was something new, a development Coran had discovered not too long ago before she had sought Lance out. Whatever Haggar had done, there was no way to tell how to reverse it. However Coran found that the scans he had completed compared to follow up ones a few minutes later showed Lance was still getting younger. Whatever process Haggar had started, there was no way to stop or reverse it. Allura didn't want to tell Lance that, but she knew he deserved to know.

"There's something I have to tell you," Allura said shakily.

Lance turned around to look at her, "What is it?"

"The scans Coran had made," Allura started slowly, "It appears so far, we don't have a way to stop or reverse this process. Whatever Haggar did, we cannot undo it."

Lance visibly swallowed, "So what? I'm stuck like this?"

Allura inhaled, "The process she put you through has your age reversing. I don't know when it will stop, only that it will keep shrinking you and we can do nothing to help."

Lance leaned back against the wall, as if the news had pushed him back. Part of him in all honesty had expected this, he just had a feeling it was a strong possibility, but now that he knew it was real… He didn't know what to say or how to respond. Though his eyes began to burn, he wouldn't dare shed a tear.

He inhaled sharply, "Well uh, we'll have to worry about that later. This mission is more important than me."

Allura was prepared to argue, to tell him that nothing was more important than him, but she held her tongue and didn't dare say a word. Likely her saying such things would have only upset him, besides she knew as the Princess to a dead race with the universe waying on her shoulders… it was all too true that there were more important things she had to be concerned with. Even if she would have rathered give all of her attention to her brother, she and the blue paladin were needed elsewhere.

Allura took her brother's hand and squeezed it, "We will get through this, I promise you Lance."

Lance looked at her, his eyes looked confused for a moment before they went back to normal. Allura wanted to ask what happened, but the shake of Lance's head told her he didn't want her to ask. A shame she wasn't going to listen to that request at the moment. She turned him to face her and bent down slightly until they were eye level.

"Lance, what happened," Allura asked, her tone concerned.

Lance shook his head, "It doesn't matter."

Allura replied sharply, "Of course it does. Now tell me, what happened?"

"I forgot," Lance muttered as his eyes looked away from her.

Allura frowned, "A parrot?"

When Lance looked at her again, she saw the pain in those usually bright eyes, "I forgot my name! You said Lance and, and I didn't recognize it for a few moments. Earlier... I couldn't remember... I forgot about earth for a bit... When Shiro and Pidge came to get me, I forgot them... It keeps happening in small moments since I got back."

Allura felt her throat tighten, "Why didn't you say anything when it happened again? You haven't been back long and already this sounds like it has been going on too often."

"Because we need to focus on the mission," Lance said through clenched teeth, "I'll be fine."

Allura placed both hands on his shoulders, "Lance, you are still important to this team and to me. Everything is getting set up for the mission, but make no mistake that once this is all over, we will fix this."

Lance couldn't look at her, "And what if we don't?"

"We will," Allura said sharply.

"What if I forget anyway, isn't that what you want," Lance said, the tears fell from his eyes as he looked at her again.

Allura shook her head, "I don't want you to forget who you are and where you came from. I won't let you lose sight of Lance, okay. Do you trust me?"

Lance nodded mutely.

"Then trust me now that I will fix this," Allura pleaded, her heart aching at the look on Lance's face.

The blue paladin couldn't speak, he chose to nod instead before pulling his hand from her grasp and walking away. He needed to get away for a bit, he had to get away. He found himself in the main command room of the castle, it was the bridge. It looked like Shiro had left already to get in position to begin the mission and bait Zarkon to their location.

Everyone got to where they needed to go, but soon issues quickly came about. While Zarkon had taken the bait, one of their men on the inside named Thace had yet to make contact. The Marmora wanted to abort the mission, Allura wouldn't have it.

"Abort," she said incredulously, she felt her anger rise, "No, we cannot back away now when we are this close!"

"The Blade of Marmora does not take chances," said one of the Galra, "It is how we have survived for so long."

Allura barked, "It's held you back. Your caution is the reason Zarkon is still in power."

The commander spoke, "We would rather wait than jeopardize everything. Besides, it's too late to get someone else on the inside."

Keith exhaled and stood up, "I'll do it."

"What," Allura said in surprise, she glanced back at Lance to see his horrified face.

Keith nodded, "I'll sneak onto Zarkon's ship. I'm Galra so I'll be able to interact with their technology with little to no problem. Pidge, you can rig up one of the pods with a cloaking device right?"

Pidge hesitated, "Well. Yeah, I could."

The commander would not have it, "Going to Zarkon's ship is a suicide mission. I would never command someone so inexperienced to go on a mission so dangerous."

"No one's commanding me," Keith countered, "I'm doing it."

Lance spoke then, "Keith, are you sure? Not that I doubt you, but that sounds a lot like a susicide mission."

Keith replied, "I've got this. Besides, we are this close to putting end to this war. We have to take a chance."

Shiro spoke for the first time since the conversation began, "Pidge, get a pod ready. Keith, radio me when you're on your way so I can cover you."

Keith nodded and left with Pidge to get to a pod. Lance watched the two of them leave with a fearful gaze that he quickly schooled when he saw Allura watching him. The talk the two had about her treatment of Keith was a bit fresh, however that was not on the princess's mind exactly.

While she knew Lance would never admit it nor did he even know about it, but she knew and could feel there was something there between the Red and Blue paladins. Neither of them seemed aware of it, which Allura was partially grateful for. However as circumstances were changing, she knew she would need to act soon.

After leaving Keith and Pidge down there for awhile, she decided now was the time to speak to Keith alone before he left. Pidge wasn't sure if she should listen to Allura and leave them alone, after all her treatment of the red paladin had been less than pleasant. However she knew whatever was about to happen was not something she needed to be apart of.

Pidge awkwardly glanced between them before walking away as she said, "Sure, have all the moments you like."

When Pidge was gone, Keith spoke flatly, "Is there something I can help you with?"

Allura steeled herself, "I- I just wanted to say the Galra, they've done terrible things. Destroyed entire civilizations. They took my family. But, in time, I've grown to consider you and the paladins my family. Even before Lance turned out to be Casimir… When I learned you were Galra, I I didn't know what to think. I wanted to hate you, blame you for something you had no part in."

Keith felt his shoulders sag, he understood what she was saying and where she was coming from, but that didn't lessen the sting he felt.

"But it's not you, it's me," Allura continued, "My anger has blinded me for too long. I'm so sorry I misjudged you. Please come back to us, come back to Lance."

Keith frowned at calling out Lance specifically, "What- why did you say that?"

Allura glanced away for a moment, "Neither of you seem aware of it so I don't believe it's my place to say anything. When you come back, you can find out more. For now, focus on your mission and proceed with caution."

Keith wanted to question her further, but he decided now was not the time, "I will."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey paladins, sorry for the delay. Reality has been overwhelming, but things have gradually settled down and giving me more time to write. Plus with summer around the corner, more time to write I hope. Anyway, chapter is a bit dialogue heavy, but it's Klance based so I think it's good. Hope you guys enjoy and have an awesome Monday.**

 **Italics is flashback :) and ignore the spelling or grammar mistakes. I doubled checked, but possible I could have missed some.**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

It was late, or maybe it was just really early. The battle with Zarkon had happened, but he couldn't remember it, any of it. All he had was headache, an aching chest, and black spots in his mind. Lance couldn't remember the mission. He couldn't remember much of anything, only that he was hurt and that the one with black hair and a missing arm had gone missing. The name of this man, the Black Paladin, he wasn't sure and couldn't remember them. Though he knew he was important, not just as the head of Voltron, but as if he were a friend, someone he looked up to.

Lance looked out the window beside, he released a heavy breath that fogged up where his mouth was closest to. A throbbing pain in his ankle came to life, he glanced down at it to see what happened. Nothing was wrong with it and he knew he didn't hurt before during the battle. It had started hurting after, when everyone had left to go to their rooms and deal with the loss and victory of the day. A sharp pain went through Lance's skull-

 _The day had been like any other for the young prince of Altea. He trained, went to his tutors, had fight with his sister, played with Coran and caused trouble. It was just another day. He had been sitting in his room sharpening his dagger when everything shook, all of his stuff falling about and moving. Panic gripped his heart. The castle was taking off, but he couldn't imagine why. He figured they needed to go somewhere and tried not to let his imagination get the best of him, but when the alarms came alive, he could only assume the worst._

 _An attack was happening, Galra soldiers were coming. He raced out of his room, he had his sniper rifle and the dagger that Zarkon had given him. Allura hated that dagger, she tried on a number of occasions to take it from him, but Casimir could never part with it. This dagger was a reminder that Zarkon had been his friend, his godfather, his teacher._

 _He ran down the hallway, he stumbled with each explosion that rocked the ship, but still he pushed on. One explosion came to close to him, he flew through the air and tried to catch himself only for his ankle to take the brunt of it. In a push up position he looked up to see several Galran soldiers, fully armed and ready to attack. He jumped to his feet, ready to face them down._

 _He pointed the sniper at them, he could hit one or two at a time, but with all of them firing at once, he would be hit no problem. They shouted in Galra, he was certain they said something about waiting to fire or get ready to fire. He wasn't sure, but he couldn't wait to find out. Casimir glanced up to see the chandelier he would climb up to all the time, this would save his life instead of risk it. Quickly he raised his sniper and fired at the orb in the ceiling holding it up. A clean hit, the lights flickered and it fell. He ran, trying to ignore the pain in his ankle, but he fe-_

"Lance!"

Lance jumped in his spot, he turned away from the window to see a pale skin teen with jet black hair. He was wearing a black t-shirt and grey pants without any shoes or socks on his feet. The name of him escaped Lance, he couldn't remember what his name was, but for some reason he knew this guy was important. An ache in his chest formed, guilt for forgetting who he was.

Coran and Allura said his memory would get worse, but that hadn't been to long ago when they talked about this. Why was it getting worse so soon? How long would he have until it was completely gone and all he had left were the Altean memories? Not to mention he had shrunk another inch since he left the Blue lion earlier. It didn't sit well with him at all.

"I called you like ten times," said the black haired teen, "You going deaf or something?"

Lance blinked, "Uh no, just lost in thought."

The teen walked over to wear he was sitting and sat down on the ledge with him. Lance tilted his head to the side, he didn't know why, but this seemed out of character for the teen despite not being able to remember who he was. However he knew that this was unlike the black haired teen. This was not something he would do and Lance didn't want to ruin the moment.

Though continuing to stare at him as he tried to remember his name would ruin the moment as well. The teen looked at him, Lance realized after a few moments that his eyes weren't a dark shade of blue, but they were violet. That was interesting, most Galrans had that same eye color.

"What are you staring at," he asked with a raised brow.

Lance looked away, "I'm sorry. I can't, I don't know who you are."

Out of Lance's periphery, he saw the teen's shoulders sag at his words. The ache in his chest grew. He was really sorry that he couldn't remember, it must be a horrible thing for someone you know, not to know you. He wondered if him and this guy were close, that would make it worse if they were best friends and he couldn't remember him..

"I'm Keith," said the teen forcing Lance to look back at him, "We went to the Garrison together, you thought we had a rivalry. You became a fighter class pilot when I was kicked out-"

"Oh yeah," Lance said his blue eyes lit up, "Of course, mullet! I remember that. And you're the red Paladin of Voltron. You were such a jerk, but seemed cool enough I guess."

Keith nodded his head with a weak smile, "Yeah… do you, do you remember what happened today?"

Lance frowned, "In pieces. Coran and Allura mentioned I'd be losing my memories, but they didn't think it would be this fast. What, what did happen today?"

Lance inhaled sharply, he leaned his head against the glass and stared at the stars. The ache in his chest had refused to leave, something else had happened today. Why was it so hard for him to remember? What exactly did Haggar do to him? And what happened today that left him feeling so down? That was when it hit him. The black Paladin was gone, their leader, Shiro.

"I can't remember the battle," Lance said softly, "I remember waking up in blue and coming back on the ship, but the black Paladin, Shiro wasn't with us."

"Yeah," Keith whispered as he clenched his hands into fists.

Shiro should have made it, they all should have survived and celebrated the victory of Voltron's destruction. But he was gone, vanished without a trace. Keith felt anger that Shiro was gone, he was furious that this had happened to only family he had left. If he didn't think of his anger, then the sorrow would take over along with the guilt and all the pain for the loss of a great friend, of a big brother he never had. Lance noticed a shift in Keith, he knew Shiro and Keith were close. They were essentially each other's family.

Lance couldn't imagine losing anyone of his family or friends that way. That they just vanished without a trace. As if they were never there, except in the emptiness. Lance tried to ignore the beginnings of a memory returning, but as it came to him he realized it was from earlier in the night. He found Allura sobbing in the hangar, the one holding the black lion which had lost all power. He remembered Pidge's heartbroken expression as Hunk did his best to comfort her. He remembered Keith storming off, trying to hide the tears that were falling down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Keith," Lance said gently.

"Why," Keith asked, "We're going to find him. I, I'm sure he's out there."

Lance offered a slight grin, "Think he's playing hide and seek among the stars? One quiznak of a hiding place."

Keith sighed, "I still don't think you're using that word correctly. And you're Altean."

Lance chuckled, "Well you're Galran and can't tell me what vrepit sa means."

"I do know what it means," Keith countered folding his arms over his chest.

"Whatever you say mullet," Lance replies dismissively.

A silence settled over the pair. Keith switched between watching the stars and watching Lance. Even though Lance couldn't remember the battle, Keith could remember every bit of it. There had been a moment, or several moments actually, when he didn't know if Lance was okay. That Lance wasn't there anymore and scared him. True terror had struck his heart when Lance didn't answer his call. It turned out that Lance was having a moment where his memories of the past were overwhelming his mind and he didn't recognize his name for a minute.

Lance had been fine, he was still fighting through the memory flashes and doing his job, but when he didn't answer and Keith could get a signal from him, he feared the worst. Even though the two weren't exactly friends, they had an understanding between the two of them that seemed to go a bit deeper than friends. And still, he didn't understand why panic had taken over him when Lance didn't respond. He told himself he would have responded the same with the rest of the team, but he wasn't so sure.

"You freaked me out today," Keith said, offhandedly as far as Lance was concerned.

Lance raised his speckled white eyebrows, "I freaked you out? Weren't you the one who went on a suicide mission?"

"You remembering," Keith asked, he leaned forward a bit.

"Just a bit," Lance said with a smirk, "How did I freak out the great and temperamental red Paladin?"

Keith leaned against the column behind him, "You didn't answer my call."

Lance snickered, "You serious? I didn't answer your call and you got freaked out? You sound like mi mama."

"I'm serious Lance," Keith said, his expression focused, "We all called and checked in, you didn't for several moments and I thought something bad happened to you."

Lance frowned, "Sorry about that. I just didn't recognize my name for a bit, though how could not when it's such a good one."

Keith rolled his eyes, "It's an okay one."

"Better than _Casimir_ if you ask me," Lance said killing his knees up to his chest, "It's so weird you know, to have the different names and different lives."

"How are you handling that by the way," Keith asked.

"Why," Lance said instead.

This caught Keith off guard, "What do you mean why?"

"I just mean why are you asking about it?"

"Because I want to know how you're doing with it."

"Yeah and why? You asked before, I think, said something about being worried. That was when the news was recent, why you asking now?"

"Because it messed with your head during a battle and you didn't recognize me for a few minutes."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"What? Yes it does."

"No, it doesn't."

Keith groaned, "How, that doesn't make any sense!"

Lance learned forward, "I might be having some head issues, but even I know you're trying to distract yourself from what happened today."

"What are you talking about," Keith questioned, his heart pounding.

"You lost someone really close to you and you want to distract yourself from thinking about it," Lance said matter factly.

"That's, that not it," Keith argued.

Lance shook his head, "Nope it definitely is. Look, you don't have to pretend that you're okay or that you care that much about my pretty head."

"What is that supposed to mean," Keith said, his expression looked hurt and offended, "You think I don't care?"

Lance frowned, "Well we aren't exactly friends. I'm pretty sure you guys would forget about me if I wasn't so talkative. The only reason you guys care now is because the mind games messed with the mission. I'm a Paladin if Voltron with a job to do, all of us have a job and we can't afford to be caught off guard. And karma face it, I'm basically a seventh wheel."

Lance looked back at the stars, appearing unbothered by the words to leave his mouth. As if he believe it. Keith couldn't believe the words coming out of Lance's mouth. How could he possibly think like that? Everyone did give Lance a hard time, but most of it was good natured and after the revolution they had dialed down a bit so as not to overwhelm him. And over time things had seemed steadier and smoother, though Lance was struggling he seemed brighter and not as weighed down. Keith could never forget Lance, even when he was quiet it would be impossible for Keith to not see him or notice him.

"You definitely aren't a seventh wheel, besides we need all the help we can get and you are our sharpshooter," Keith said honestly, "Yeah, we all have jobs to do, but we have each other to lean on. Don't doubt your value here, because none of us do. Shiro didn't doubt you either."

Lance returned his gaze to Keith, "I'm pretty sure he was my hero. The reason I wanted to become a pilot in the first place."

"Well we have that in common," Keith said with a slight grin, "Shiro believed in you, we all do. So you can't stop believing in yourself."

Lance chuckled, "Aw, Keith does have a heart."

"Yeah, you mention this to anyone and I'll have red eat you," Keith said rising to his feet.

Lance smiled, "Blue wouldn't allow it."

Keith sighed, "I wouldn't be too sure. Anyway, I'm going back to bed. You just going to stay out here all night?"

"No," Lance answered, "Though why were you up?"

Keith shrugged, "I was restless and needed to walk around and that's how I found you. What about you?"

Lance stood from his seat, "Some bad dreams and maybe some bad memories, still kind of hard to tell the difference."

"You ever need help, I'll be there," Keith told him, his tone and expression showed how serious he was.

Lance could only nod, "You ever need to talk about your grief, I've been told my shoulders are great to cry on."

"Yeah, I'll remember that," Keith said dismissively, "Thanks."

With that Keith was gone leaving Lance alone in this room. He slipped his hands into his pajama pockets, a slight smile on his face. Even though a lot of the memories in his mind were spotty and he was struggling to piece them together, he felt better knowing that Keith would be there to help him through it. He hoped that if Keith needed him, that he could offer the same help and it be good for him.

Lance looked over his shoulder out the window to look at the stars again, as if it were far away, but he heard something. It sounded like water, like the ocean waves were out in the distance. His smile grew then as he focused on the sound and continued to stare at the stars, his blue eyes glowing brighter the longer he watched the twinkling lights and listened to the sounds no one else could hear. He shook his head and released a slight laugh, his mostly white hair brushed against his forehead as he turned away from window.

An idea came to mind, there was in fact a pool in this castle and he wanted to take a swim for a bit. If his hunch was correct, he had a feeling the water would be the place that would keep his memories as Lance in tact. Or at least he would have a way to access those memories in the water, again he had to prove if this theory was right.

"Hey Keith," Lance called and raced out of the room to see the red paladin at the end of the hall.

"Yeah, what's up," Keith asked as he walked back over to Lance.

Lance met him halfway, "I think I have an idea on how to keep my memories in tact and if it checks out, there might be a way to find Shiro.

Keith raised his eyebrows, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Now come on, I'll need your help."

"Alright, what do you need?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: What up Paladins? Hope all is well. When I first started this story, there were three specific scenes that I wrote and while two of them have passed, the third one is just around the corner. Problem is the inbetween moments until I get that to one part, so I'm afraid the next chapter or two will be more filler based than anything so that I can tie in the scene correctly and not have to do a big jump to the future.**

 **Currently I'm playing around with Lance's magic and how he's able to connect with it, since he's still figuring it all out it doesn't make the most sense, but soon enough it will tie together in a nice little bow, promise.** **As always, thanks for hanging with this story and hope you continue to enjoy it!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Lance jumped into the swimming pool, letting the water consume him as he felt a rush of warmth spread from his chest to his fingertips. Alteans had a connection to the magic of the universe, to the stars and the cosmos. With Voltron, that connection could be amplified through an astral plane. Lance had no idea how he or really Casimir knew this, but he knew it like he knew his heart was beating in his chest. However he was hoping to kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

Ever since he found out that he would be losing his memories, he had been trying to find a way that he would be able to keep them or link them to something so that they would never truly be gone. Like writing them all down relating them to something that he owned. It worked for a little bit, but not enough and when he re-read the memories he wrote down before, he found that he didn't recognize them and nothing clicked in his mind. It was more terrifying than he thought.

His connection to the magic he felt tended to fluctuate, but he had an idea on how to keep it steady at the more important moments while also being able to hold onto his human past. He opened his eyes underwater surprised that it didn't sting, though he guessed that was because there wasn't any chlorine in the pool. Swiftly he sunk to the bottom or well the top technically considering the pool was on the ceiling. Lance had a strong connection to water, he hoped that would transfer over to Casimir.

If it did and his theory was right, that meant he would have a way to hold onto Lance and connect to his magic without losing himself. A memory flashed through his mind, when he first came here with Keith. It was clear, it was his as Lance, not him as Casimir which was a welcomed relief and pleasant feeling. He pushed himself to the surface of the water, he took a deep breath and the burning of his chest left him along with the warmth he had felt before..

"I remember the first time we came here," Lance called to Keith, his hair dripping water to the floor.

Keith had his arms crossed over his chest, he nodded, "Okay, how will this help us find Shiro?"

Lance grinned, "The alchemy magic will. I have a connection to the magic, but it isn't steady, it comes and goes in waves. Hence why we're at the pool, the water makes waves and by associating it, I might be able to get control of it or at least be able to predict when it will be big or small."

Keith frowned, he didn't entirely understand it, "Okay, but how will it help you find Shiro if he's… gone?"

"By strengthening my connection to magic, I should be able to find out if he's in the astral plane," Lance told him somberly, "Shiro just disappeared and people don't do that. So it's possible the Black Lion sent him there for his protection or as a last defense."

Hope flared inside Keith, "That's… incredible. There's a chance, a real chance that he could be there?"

Lance nodded, "Yes. It will take me a little while to figure it out exactly on how to make the connection last or learn how to read it, but once I get that down, I'll be able to see if I can find him."

Lance pushed himself out of the water and managed to flip around onto his feet with ease. It was a lot more graceful than he was expecting, but he silently thanked Casimir for once. He turned to look at Keith with a reassuring grin, "With a few days of practice I should be able to find someone else's energy. I'll talk to Coran and Allura to see what they know about it. In all honesty, I'm not even sure how I know this."

"You don't know it from Casimir," Keith asked with a frown.

Lance looked thoughtful for a moment, he tilted his head to the side slightly and Keith watched as his darkened brown hair and lighter white hair clung to his forehead. The water was dripping down him without delay, it made his skin glisten in the light. Keith forced himself to glance away, heat growing in his cheeks for a reason he didn't understand. He shoved it down without mercy as Lance began to speak again.

"I can't be sure," Lance said sadly, but he smiled anyway, "It certainly didn't come from Lance. Though it is weird talking about myself or selves in the third person."

Lance laughed lightly, but it sounded strange to Keith's ears. As if it wasn't really his laugh, or if it was, it was a laugh through pain.

* * *

 **Ten Battles Later**

* * *

Lance stood off to the side, his breathing still shallow and slightly labored. It had only been a couple of minutes since he stepped off of the Blue Lion after fighting with the Yellow Paladin to free this world. He had been fine, everything was great in fact. The people wanted pictures with him, he felt like a… the earth word for it… a celebrity.

Yeah, that was it.

An ache formed in his chest at that. It had been two days since his last episode, they were getting closer and closer together. Even though every time he went swimming, the memories of Lance returned, the longer he remained out of water, the sooner the memories left. His theory had backfired a little bit in that regard, but at least his connection to magic had grown stronger. He felt almost like a space warrior from that really old film he couldn't remember the name of. A soft cough escaped him, he leaned against the rock wall as he tried to get his head back on straight.

He was a paladin, the blue paladin. Over there talking to some of the crowd was… the yellow paladin… his name it was, it was Hunk. He met him at school. Lance shook his head, how could he have forgotten Hunk? His best friend and for a long time only friend. Lance winced, he ran his fingers through his brown and white hair with a sigh.

For a little while he blacked out, not in the literal sense, but in the sense of one minute he was the planet Puig and the next he was in lounge area of the castle near the training deck. How he had gotten there or when, he couldn't remember, but decided not to say anything about it. He would go swimming in a little while and see what he missed.

"... pilot for the Black Lion."

That brought Lance out of his daze. He looked at his sister with a question in his eyes, her gaze glanced at him, but quickly away. It wasn't like she wanted to start the search for a new black paladin, she wanted to find Shiro like the rest of them, but the universe needed Voltron. Without a black paladin, they could not form it. The Galra were scattered and their empire was crumbling, they needed to appear strong in the midst of the chaos.

"No," Keith said, "I'm going to find him. Lance's connection to magic grows stronger everyday, soon enough we'll be able to bring him back. We can't just give up."

"No one is suggesting that we stop looking," Allura told him, she opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her off.

"But we're going to replace him," Keith argued.

Allura released a soft sigh, "Voltron cannot function with four paladins. The Galra empire is falling apart the seams, if we are to continue to be a vision of peace and defense for the universe, we need Voltron. Not to mention while the Galra may not be ready to attack now, a time will come that they will and we need to be prepared."

Keith wanted to argue, he wanted to protest, but he knew she had a point. Voltron was the key to defeating Zarkon in the first place, but without a fifth Paladin, Voltron wasn't an option anymore and only using four lions wasn't going to cut it. However Keith didn't say anything, he stormed away not knowing what to do. He knew Lance was getting closer to finding Shiro, why couldn't the others and the universe just wait a little longer?

Lance leaned back in his seat, he glanced at Allura and she sent him a message. Apparently with his growing connection to magic, he managed to open up the channel between the two of them more than ever allowing them to communicate. It was easy for either of them to close off when they wanted to and at the ready to be open when necessary.

 _I want to find Shiro too, but I wish it wasn't you searching. Not like this._

Lance struggled not to sigh or roll his eyes at that. It took a lot more out of him than he cared to admit, not to mention he seemed to speed up the process on his retreating memories. The positive about the search was that it slowed down his deaging process which was a welcomed thing considering he had shrunk again, now he was at Pidge's height. It drove him nuts if he was being honest, but there was nothing he, Coran or Allura could do about it. Even though Lance wasn't one to give up, he knew when there was a battle he could win or one he would lose. This was one he had no chance of winning. He sent her a message before closing the channel.

 _I know, but I can handle this. Okay, I promise._

Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that Allura wasn't convinced by his message, but there was nothing he could do about that. The only way to ease her worries was to lie or sugar coat, even though he knew that wisest thing to do, he just didn't want to add anything else to her plate. She was leading the charge now more than ever, talking to all the leaders, building a coalition, trying repair ten thousand years of damage, the concern she had for Shiro and now her brother.

It was too much, he just wanted to ease the burdens she carried in whatever way he could. Lance left the lounge area to his room, quickly he changed into his swimming trunks, grabbed a towel and headed to the pool. It was where he spent most of his time anyway, but he knew soon he would be entirely dependent on it to keep memory alive. The thought didn't sit well with him at all.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: It's a posting kind of night! Please ignore the spelling and/or grammar mistakes, I double checked, but likely still missed stuff. Just you wait Paladins, next chapter is when things really start coming into play. I'm excited and you guys should be too!**

 **Okay, enough of me talking. Thank you all for the reviews, follows, favorites and some really sweet PM-ers, you guys are the best!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Lance had to admit, despite the disaster in his mind, things were starting to look up for Voltron. The hunt for Shiro had taken a back seat, much to Keith's annoyance, but he didn't complain about it much. After his 'tantrum' at the diplomacy meeting a few days ago, the Lions had been rotated around. With Shiro still gone and Voltron still needed, it was time for a new Paladin to take the head of Voltron. Keith had been chosen as the Black Paladin and Lance chosen by the Red Lion, much to his surprise and some joy.

Lance smiled weakly at the memory. How the Blue Lion quite literally shut him out and would not allow him close. That really stung, but when the Red Lion roared and Allura telling him about their father, it couldn't be denied. Lance had been the first person to accept Keith as the Black Lion's pilot and in turn would now become his right hand.

King Alfor had piloted the Red Lion. It filled with Lance with a bit of pride to follow in his footsteps in this way, Allura had been beyond proud of him which felt nice. Speaking of Allura, the Blue Lion had chosen her to be the new pilot which had thrilled and terrified the Altean Princess. Lance thought it would be great.

Of course this was in the middle of a battle with Zarkon's son, that no one knew existed until now, so that was another tough pill to swallow. Things had changed rapidly in a matter of hours. And then after that battle, Keith went after Lotor with everyone in tow. Lance did his best to stop it.

Lance closed his eyes and called on the already fading memory.

" _First you want me to lead, then complain about how I do it," Keith grumbled over the comms, "Prince Lotor is the heir to the Galra throne, we could end his reign right now."_

 _Lance replied, "We could, or we could go back to the castle and work on our new line up."_

" _There isn't any time," Keith struggled not to shout. He was filled with anger and likely a good bit of fear. He was angry that Shiro was gone, that the Black Lion chose him to lead. He was scared about being the leader and about letting everyone down. There wasn't any time to sit around and wait, they needed to take action. This was the time to take action._

" _Keith, you, me and Allura are piloting new lions," Lance said, his tone more serious than expected, "We are not ready to go to battle with Lotor now. We just got Voltron back, we need to adjust."_

 _Keith gripped the controls on his lion tightly, he gritted his teeth, "Yeah and while we're adjusting, the Galra empire will rebuild and take over more innocent planets. We need to end this before it has a chance to start."_

 _Lance flew ahead of the Black Lion and floated there, "We go into this fight now, it will end very badly for us. I'll respect your decision either way, but remember this. There is no denying that we aren't ready for a fight, you bring us in there now and it won't be pretty."_

Lance opened his eyes. They still went into battle, got caught in a weird combustible atmosphere, but they were able to form Voltron. However, their ability to work together in their new roles took a bit of work and a good deal of training, but so far things were turning out alright. With the days spent training and freeing some planets with minor battles, Lance was able to pick up where he left off when it came to looking for Shiro.

It was early this morning actually that a new way to find him had come to him which resulted in him lying in his room with a massive headache. He felt the pull of his magic again. Where the energy came from, where the idea came from, he had no idea. It just hit him. While he had been channeling his magic and using the pool as a channel for Lance, he wondered if he could channel something of Shiro's to find him.

The signature he found in the astral plane was weak, but pulsing and more importantly, it was alive. It had to be Shiro, but because Lance wasn't sure, he hadn't told anyone about it. However this morning, he thought maybe he could use someone else as a channel. Allura hadn't been too happy at the rude awakening, but the experiment had been a success. He could in a sense channel someone in order to find someone else.

By channeling Coran, who also didn't appreciate the wake up call, Lance was able to locate Allura and vice versa. Lance was certain that if he could channel Keith, he would get a stronger connection to Shiro. That was why things were looking up for Voltron, there was an even stronger chance Shiro would come home.

Allura walked in his room, "Here, I've brought you more ice."

Lance didn't open his eyes, he gave a half-hearted thumbs up as the freezing ice pack was rested on his pounding forehead.

Allura was worried, really and truly worried. Of course, she wanted Shiro back, possibly even more than Keith did, but she didn't like risking her long lost brother for a chance. Even though she knew Lance wasn't being forced or pressured into this, he cared about Shiro too, but she hated that he was the one to push himself so hard into the magic.

He was getting weaker, though he piloted the lion fine and his training was well, Allura could see that his memory loss was getting worse and his appearance was still shifting. As she looked at him now, she saw there were maybe five locks of brown hair left. A part of her wondered if the hair was almost like a timer or indicator of some kind to show how much time Lance had left before Casimir was left in his place.

"I think you should slow down Lance," Allura said softly as she sat beside him, "Though I am pleased you are involved in Altean alchemy, I just wish you wouldn't-"

Lance sat up, causing her pause. He held the ice pack up as he told her, "I get you're worried, but I can handle this. We all need Shiro, we all want him back. Besides, if I can find Shiro in the astral plane, that means I could find Pidge's brother. I, I'm being useful."

"Lance, you are already useful without killing yourself over this," Allura argued not hiding her anger.

Lance sighed, "There's nothing any of us can do to stop this process, okay I've accepted that," Lance said dejectedly, a tinge of fear in his voice, "If finding Shiro is the last thing I do as Lance, I think that would be a great way to go. Please, let me have this."

"Pardon me for not being so eager to lose you," Allura hissed bitterly, her eyes burning with tears she couldn't shed.

Lance placed his hand on her shoulder, "I get why you're worried and scared about this, but trust me Allura. I'm closer than ever."

Allura exhaled, "Whatever you say, just be careful."

"I always am," Lance told her, he stood from his seat, "Now come on, I need to talk to talk to Keith and the others about this."

"I think you should wait," Allura told him.

"What, why?"

"Because you need to build up your strength more."

"Allura, I get I look younger, but I'm not some kid-"

"It's more than that. With everything happening, we need to focus on the matters at hand-"

"We can't just forget Shiro. What if he's in pain out there?"

"You'd know if he was. Please just, just wait until we've settled into our new roles, let your strength build back up and your connection to Lance stabilize," Allura begged, her eyes held desperation in them that caught Lance off guard.

Wordlessly, he nodded. For now he would wait.

* * *

 **Two Weeks Later**

* * *

Lance had told Keith about his discovery, despite Allura's wishes, the day after. And for the past fourteen days, in between the battles and training, Lance and Keith had been working on the connection to Shiro. The first time they tried it, the pulsing had been more prominent and Keith had been able to feel it, it was the only proof they had that Shiro was in fact alive. Whether or not he was okay was an entirely different matter, but they had hope.

The connection grew stronger, the only problems now were contacting him or finding his location, something Lance couldn't do. Keith was sitting patiently in his seat, waiting for Lance to get started, but the blue or now red paladin seemed hesitant and uncertain about something.

All morning, Lance had seemed like himself, if not on the more distracted side which had sent the team into a bit of a worried haze. Everyone knew that Lance would eventually become Casimir, it was something that couldn't be avoided and even though no one was giving up on trying to find a way to stop it, there was an acceptance there. An acceptance that it would happen, no matter what they did.

"Lance, everything okay," Keith asked.

Lance puffed his cheeks, he rubbed the back of his neck unsure of how to phrase this. Yesterday when he and Keith were looking for Shiro, Lance had done something different. It was something he only knew he and Allura could do because of their magic and relation. However, he did it with Keith last night and it threw him off guard.

"It's uh, it's about when we did it the other day," Lance said as he took a seat, "I, I saw something. It wasn't related to Shiro though…"

Keith frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Lance swallowed, "Allura has been able to show me memories and I, I assumed it was because we're related and both have a magic, but yesterday… I saw one of yours."

Keith visibly tensed, he kept his expression as blank as he could, "And what did you see?"

"That's the thing, uh," Lance shook his head, "I saw a man, with your hair and complexion. I think it was your dad."

It was Keith's turn to swallow. His dad hadn't been mentioned in years. The last time he had really thought of his dad was when he and Shiro had gotten into a fight. How Keith was so angry with Shiro for reasons he honestly couldn't remember. At the time, he was just a kid who didn't have a home.

 _You can't tell me what to do! You aren't my dad!_

Keith had been devastated when his dad died, he was the only family he had. And he knew nothing about his mom. There was a chance when he was with the Marmora that a vision of his dad was going to tell him about her, but he left too soon to know. Lance looking at a memory didn't bother Keith _that_ much, but it was weird. Keith started searching his memories of his dad, ignoring the burn of his eyes and lump in his throat. He wondered which memory Lance had seen and why he seemed so hesitant.

"What about him," Keith asked simply.

Lance looked away, "It's not so much about him, but your mom."

Keith narrowed his eyes, "Lance- you saw her?"

"I think so," Lance said, he forced himself to look into Keith's eyes, "I saw her through your eyes. I'm guessing it was a really early memory, I'm talking infantile based on the angle-"

"Why did you wait so long to tell me that you saw my memory, and why are you being so hesitant to tell me what you saw," Keith demanded, his anger and fear growing. Though he ignored the stab of jealousy that Lance had seen his mother before he did.

However the emotions quickly faded as he studied his friend. Over their time shared here, Keith had come to see Lance as his closest friend here and really valued having him around. Sitting here across from him, he noticed and not for the first time, how worn down Lance appeared.

He was still the same height as Pidge, but he no longer stood tall like he had before, as if an invisible force was constantly weighing him down. There were dark circles under his eyes and right above his now prominent sickle marks that Lance complained about a lot, how they hurt. Keith tried not to think about the time when Lance was complaining about them during a sparring match and Keith stopped the match and touched those marks.

Lance exhaled, "I didn't know how to tell you, but I realized if the roles were reversed, I would have wanted you to tell me. I saw her and she was holding… a bundle, a baby."

Keith blinked, but he had no response.

Lance continued nervously, "You mentioned a long time ago that it had always been you and your dad. With the recent discovery your mom was Galra, it made sense that she would leave earth because she would stick out there you know. And you never mentioned having a sibling so I just, I just wanted to bring it up and felt those same pulses and-"

"Wait, are you saying my mom and sibling are out there right now," Keith asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Lance said thickly, "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Once we find Shiro, I can start seeing if I can locate your mom and sibling along with Matt."

Keith didn't really know how to react. He wanted to be happy that his mom and apparently his sibling were alive out there, somewhere. He wanted to be angry that his mother left him behind and took his brother or sister with her. However he couldn't express either of those emotions when he looked at Lance. He knew the magic that Lance was using was exhausting, Keith wasn't sure Lance could handle finding four people.

"I, I don't know what to say," Keith said honestly, "Do you think you could handle all of that?"

Lance laughed weakly, "I can handle it Keith, I'm sure of that."

Keith started, "Lance, if you can't do it, I don't want-"

"Don't," Lance interrupted sharply, "Okay, don't. I can do this."

Keith didn't object further. It made him think of the conversation he had with Allura days ago, how scared and heartbroken she looked. Of course she wanted Shiro back, but she was terrified of what this was doing to Lance. A few moments of silence later, Allura made her way inside the lounge with a displeased look on her face.

When she learned that Lance had told Keith about what he knew, she had been furious which prompted her fearful conversation with the new black paladin. However she could not deny him, especially when it was likely that it could be one of his last requests as Lance. Coran had all but confirmed to her that in the coming days, Lance would be gone and Casimir would be all that was left. She noticed the atmosphere was tense between the pair, but would not question it now.

"Well, are you two ready," Allura asked as she took a seat before them.

Lance nodded, "You bet. Now give me your hands, let's see if we can bring Shiro home."

Allura held Lance's hand, ready to begin. By combining their magic, Lance was certain he would be able to find Shiro. The connection wasn't strong enough on his own with just Keith, but he had a feeling with a little more magic on their side, they would be able to locate him. Not to mention Allura's connection to Shiro went a lot deeper than Lance had been prepared for.

Keith didn't move, so Lance grabbed his hand while Allura took his other hand. Allura's grip was loose while Lance's was firm, though still gentle. The first time Lance had held Keith's hand, the former red paladin barely managed to hide a blush. Though he had no idea why he was blushing in the first place, he did his best to keep it hidden. Now, it was almost second nature which was still weird for Keith.

The trio closed their eyes as Lance spoke, "Alright guys, let's do this. Allura, call on your magic and most prominent memories of Shiro. Keith, you just need to think of him and his presence in your life."

"Do you think it would work if the others were here," Keith asked, opening his eyes, "We all have a connection to Shiro."

Lance opened his eyes as well, but said nothing.

It was Allura who answered, "The three of us need to test this first. If it doesn't work, then we can bring everyone else on board. Let's get back to it."

Lance closed his eyes again and Keith followed suit.

Lance felt the warmth of magic wash over him and the cool touch of ribbon in his hand, though he was aware of still holding Keith's hand, the manifestation of a connection was silk ribbons. The feeling of it sliding over his palm, moving with every beat of their heart. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer sitting in the lounge with Keith and Allura, he was in the astral plane again.

A smile grew on his face, this was it.

He wasted no time, he called on his magic that mixed with Allura's, he used the memories from Keith and his sister which caused the ribbon like connection in his hands to grow stronger. Then he felt the tug of the ribbon and held onto it, as tightly as he could until he saw him.

There was no denying that it was Shiro. He was on some frozen wasteland. Lance pushed harder, he didn't notice that his breathing turned erratic, nor did he car. He could see Shiro in the snow, being taken by two aliens. He could hear their voices, the voices of the aliens he didn't know and the voices of Keith and Allura. It was overlapping, but he strained to make out the words of the aliens. He caught a name before he was forced out of the vision.

Lance jolted, he looked around frantically only to stop when Keith came into vision slightly over him. What happened? He was leaning against someone, he tilted his head slightly to see Allura. She looked down at him with a teary eyed expression, her grip around his frame tightened then.

Lance blinked, "Uh, what happened?"

Keith frowned, "You, you were freaking out. Started hyperventilating, the lights here flickered a lot, then your nose started to bleed…"

Lance brought his fingers to his upper lip, he pulled his hand away to look at the red blood on his fingertips which sent chills down his spine. Maybe he had pushed himself a little too hard, but it didn't matter.

"I found him," Lance said as he lowered his hand, "I know where Shiro is, or I know the area around him. I only caught the word Thesaryx before I was pulled out. I know that's a planet, it has to be the one he's on or near."

Allura's brow raised, "Are you certain?"

Lance nodded, he answered slightly breathless, "Positive. Come on, let's go."

"Wait a second," Keith said before Lance could move, "Just, wait a second. You might just pass out on us if we move to soon."

Lance made a face at that, but knew Keith had a point. However the moment didn't last long. Coran's voice blared over the comms. There was a mission, a call for Voltron from the planet Thesaryx.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here comes some interesting stuff. Hope you guys enjoy and don't freak out.**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

Lance shakily took his seat across from the others, Allura's eyes never leaving him. He really pushed himself too hard the other day and the battle that followed really did a number on him. During the battle on Thesaryx, he was able to locate Shiro. Towards the end of the battle, right before they were about to make a jump, Lance felt the ribbon wrap around his hands. He turned his lion around to see one lone Galra pod flying after them as fast as it could, which wasn't very.

The others joined him and Keith was able to pick up the pod. He confirmed moments later that Shiro was inside, weak, but very much alive. The paladins all celebrated, it was the happiest moment they had, had in a long time.

That was two days ago.

Shiro spent majority of those two days in the healing pod, but currently he was out and sitting in the lounge. Pidge and Hunk were talking animatedly to Shiro about all that's happened, Keith had been giving some input of his own, but watched mostly. When Shiro had first arrived his hair was past his shoulders, he had a beard and mustache. It was certainly a different look than the Paladins were expecting. Though once he was out of the pod, he cut his hair and shaved the facial hair off. He looked the way they all knew him too.

Lance wanted to make a comment on it, but when he took that breath to speak he felt the nausea crash into him again. The nausea had started out barely noticeable, until now it was a constant struggle for him not to throw up everything he ate. He was thrilled to have Shiro back, happy he was able to bring him back, but he couldn't enjoy it too much.

He was miserable.

Lance leaned back, his most recent memories were the ones that were starting to fade and he couldn't even bother to try and swim to get them back. He tried, but the water made his nausea unbearable. A headache had come and refused to leave him alone. Not to mention with what he had done last night.

Keith took a seat beside Lance, he asked softly, "Hey, are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale."

Flashes of Lance pushing himself last night entered his mind. Two dish towels soaked in blood from his nose bleeds, his throat still her from the sobbing into his pillow. It was worth it though, he found Matt and he located Keith's family. Three dots, three locations. Now wasn't the time to tell him that though, Lance wasn't sure he had any time left.

He left a note in his room, on his bed. He hoped one of them would find it if he disappeared, like he thought he would. Allura hadn't been thrilled with him last night, or really at five this morning when she put the towels away ans gave him some medicine. Judging by her gaze, he knew she was still upset. Plus with what happened the night before.

Lance tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace, "Oh yeah, I'm just fine. Tired is all."

"Liar," Allura whispered to herself, but loud enough for Keith to hear.

Keith frowned, he looked back at Lance who was now trying to stand. However it was too much and Lance fell back into his seat, he fake yawned in order to avoid the worried gazes. It didn't work.

Hunk and Pidge hadn't seen that much of Lance as of late, but everytime they did see him, he looked worse than the previous times. Hunk noticed it more because Lance was his best friend. He knew all of the former blue paladin's quirks, how he acted in whatever mood he was in and could instantly tell that something was seriously wrong with him now.

Ever since the battle that allowed them to bring Shiro home, Lance had looked like someone had beaten him up repeatedly. Hunk had spoken to him the night of Shiro's return, when he found Lance curled into a fetal position in the hallway.

" _Lance, are you okay, what happened," Hunk asked as he knelt beside his friend._

 _Casimir looked at him with a hazy expression, he didn't recognize this teen kneeling over, but he also felt as if he had met him once before. Perhaps he was a new servant? No, wait he didn't have any sickle marks. He wasn't Altean. That was odd, but Casimir supposed that it wasn't unlikely._

" _I, I don't-" Casimir stopped sharply as he felt something rise in his throat._

 _Memories rushed through his mind as he threw up the very little dinner he had the previous night._

 _Lance, his name was Lance. He wasn't Casimir, not now. This couldn't happen yet._

 _Hunk put a hand on Lance's back, "It's okay, you're okay. Just, just hold on alright. Let me get-"_

" _No," Lance choked out hoarsely, "Don't get anyone. Just bring me back to my room, please Hunk."_

Hunk had honestly been terrified to leave Lance alone, but once he got Lance back to his room, he sent a quick message to Allura that Lance was sick. A few minutes later, she arrived with medicine and water for him to drink, much to Lance's annoyance and gratitude.

With that, Hunk left the siblings to try and get some sleep, but to no avail. Of course he was thrilled to have Shiro back, but now he realized that Lance was running out of time. That didn't sit well with him, Lance was like his brother and he couldn't imagine him not being there.

Shiro spoke to Lance then, surprising everyone, "Lance, you really don't look okay. You should rest."

Lance lifted his head weakly to look at Shiro, "I'll rest later. For now, now we need to focus about the task at hand."

"Currently, all we can do is keep an eye out for the comet's signature that Lotor stole and work on overtaking any outposts," Allura said with a tone of finality.

"The nearest outpost is around seven days away," Keith added, "That gives us some time to regroup and come up with some game plans. It should also give two of our own a chance to recover from their ordeals."

Lance stood up sharply, ignoring the dizziness he argued, "There isn't any time for us to just wait-"

He couldn't ignore the spinning any longer and swayed on his feet, Keith being the one to jump up and steady Lance. Allura was on her feet next, terror in her eyes.

"Please Lance, you have to rest," Allura said sternly, a tone he hadn't heard in thousands of years, "You are going straight to your room, do you understand?"

Lance barely managed a scoff, "You grounding me?"

Allura's nostrils flared, " _Lance._ "

Lance narrowed his eyes at her, he pushed Keith away to stand on his own, "I'm not invalid, I'm okay. I just, I don't feel all that great, but I'm-"

Lance inhaled sharply as another wave of nausea hit him, he bent forward slightly at the force of it causing Allura and Keith to be right by his sides. Hunk, Pidge and Shiro were on their feet as well in an instant, each filled with their own worry and terror for their teammate. Allura ended up supporting more of Lance's weight as he no longer trying to stand, he just fell into her arms.

He wanted to pass out, at least then he wouldn't have to feel so bad right now. A choke breath escaped him, everyone was talking, but they sounded distant and muffled despite them all being so close to him. He tilted his head to the side, he heard a heartbeat that was a bit faster than normal, but the rhythm was soothing enough.

His eyelids were heavy, he didn't have the energy to keep them open so he closed them. However he opened them sharply when a thought came to him. What if when he closed his eyes, it would be the last time he did as Lance? And when he woke up, he would be Casimir.

"I don't know want to forget," Lance whispered to no one in particular, but everyone stopped speaking to look at him, "I don't want to forget who I am."

Allura's grip tightened, "And you won't, alright I promise."

He released a shallow breath, "Hate to break it to you, but you're, you're about to break that promise."

Coran appeared by his side next, everyone had backed away to see what he would do. Lance stared up at Coran for a moment, memories from another life entered his mind as he recognized the orange haired Altean. Coran was like an uncle, or really more of a godfather if Lance was being honest. He was glad to have known him in this life and the other one.

"This is it huh," Lance said sadly as Coran looked him over.

Coran nodded stiffly, "I'm sorry my boy." He looked at the others. "There is nothing more we can do, we need to get him to a healing pod now."

Lance barely registered that he was being lifted. The only reason he had been able to tell because he caught a flash of red in his vision before closing his eyes. He didn't want to forget, he didn't want to accept it. Despite all his flaws and struggles, he liked who he was as Lance. Being Casimir, he didn't want to be Casimir. He wanted to be Lance.

Keith was carrying him to the pod as quickly as he could, everyone racing after him. It had been this hovering cloud that Lance would disappear, Keith had did his best to ignore it, but now that time had come where he couldn't get rid of it. Lance was here, in his arms and fading fast. He hated this. Anger had been the first emotion to register, but next came the overwhelming amount of guilt.

This was his fault. Lance could have had more time, Allura and Coran could have had more time to find a solution if he wouldn't have pushed Lance so hard. If he wouldn't have been so focused on Shiro, he would have recognized that Lance wasn't strong enough to handle it. Keith gripped Lance tighter, he couldn't lose his friend, not after everything.

Lance chuckled, "You, you've done this before. Carried me I mean,"

Keith blinked, but kept his eyes ahead, "I guess I have. Just hang on okay, you'll be fine."

"I won't remember you," Lance said sadly as Keith entered the infirmary.

Keith panted slightly from the running, but still quickly made his way to the nearest pod. It was open, so he set Lance down on his feet, though the transitioning altean held his jacket tightly in his shaking hands. There was true fear in Lance's eyes and Keith had to wonder what it must be like. How did it feel to know that you were going to lose your memories of everyone you loved in a matter of time.

He knew it was hard for himself and the others, but Keith realized in that moment as he looked down at Lance how much worse it was for him. Lance, who used to be inches taller than him, now stood at Pidge's height. Lance who's hair was a rich chocolate brown that hung over his forehead and ears was now stark white. Lance who always cracked jokes and wanted to make everyone smile now could barely manage one on his own. Keith felt fear swirl in his chest and misery. He already lost so much and now, he was going to lose his rival turned friend.

"I, I need to tell you something," Lance said, his voice raw as if he had been screaming.

"What is it," Keith asked with a frown.

"I, I," Lance stumbled, he couldn't say it, "Just, make, make sure you go to my bedroom. There's a note for you."

The others came rushing in. The former blue paladin looked back at Keith with pleading eyes, trying to convey a different message without words, but it was lost on Keith. He had no idea what the message Lance was trying to send him could be. And before he could press for more, he was moved to the side by Allura and Coran who were working on the pod.

Lance didn't protest as he stepped back inside the pod. He looked at everyone and realized this would likely be the last time he saw them with his memories in tact. Tears slipped down his cheeks, he didn't bother to stop them.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Lance told them with a wry smile, "Thanks for everything. Thanks Hunk for being my first friend at the Garrison, thanks Pidge for putting up with my jokes, thanks Shiro for having faith in me. Thanks, thanks Coran for looking out for me and thanks Allura for being a great sister and friend… Keith… thanks for being my friend… I, I-"

Lance's eyes close and he leaned back against the pod as the glass came down. The darkness consumed him and he said goodbye as memories of his life as Lance fizzled away.

Allura pressed her hands to the glass as Lance slid down the pod's wall until he was on the floor, his head tilted to one side. She called on her magic and connected with his and found something that forced a cry from her throat and true fear into her heart.

"His life, his energy, it's fading," Allura said horrified.

"Fading, what do you mean fading," Hunk asked anxiously.

Coran answered quickly, "She means he could die. That we could lose both Lance and Casimir."

"What," Keith shouted, he clenched his hands into fists, "How is that possible?"

Coran shook his head, "I, I don't know. The magic could be overwhelming his system, or it could be that the illness he contracted, this is something worse than we thought or it-"

"We don't need what it could be, we need to know what it is and how to stop it," Keith interrupted, his eyes alight with anger.

Allura pressed her head to the glass, "No, I will not lose him again. Coran, step back."

"Allura, what are… " Coran started, but stopped when he realized what she planned to do.

Allura was going to draw the magic out of him. It was too much for him to handle, they should have realized sooner than combining their magic would have had this affect. It was just, this hadn't been done in thousands of years and they had no idea of the effects, there were no records and still they felt as if they should have known.

Allura felt this more than Coran. It was supposed to be her job protecting him and she had continued to fail him in that department. As the healing pod continued to do it's thing, Allura called on her magic and he pod glowed brighter than before. The paladins and Coran watched in awe as the pod continue to glow brightly and speck of that light filled the room.

She pulled the excess magic out of him, the ribbon like feeling that Lance talked about brushed her finger tips and she grabbed a hold of it as quick and as tight as she could. The light from the alteans grew even brighter until it was impossible to see. Then, it was gone. Allura took a slight step back from the pod, but her hand was still pressed to the glass.

 _Lance smiled at her, "Goodbye princess Allura, maybe one day, I'll see you again like this."_

"Goodbye Lance," Allura whispered so softly, no one heard her.

The pods glass door opened. No one moved let alone breathed as they waited for the smoke surrounding their friend to clear. The last few strands of brown hair disappeared, only white hair remained. By the looks of it, he had shrunk yet again to the surprise of everyone except Allura and Coran.

Casimir had been short for his age. Though he should be around the equivalent of a twelve-thirteen year old in earth years, the Paladins weren't sure he appeared older than ten actually. At least his clothes weren't swallowing him up, they just appeared slightly bigger than before. Allura got down on her knees to be closer to Lance or she supposed now Casimir. He looked the same as he did on the day she lost him, the last time she saw him. It was strange, it made her want to laugh and sob at the same time.

She rested one hand on his cheek gently, the other on his shoulder, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

His eyes fluttered open revealing crystal blue that matched quintessence. Everything hurt, he felt incredibly heavy and slightly miserable. How he needed up here, he wasn't sure, but Allura was above him so that was a good sign right? Though considering she was holding his cheek and touching his shoulder, he imagined something must be wrong. They weren't supposed to show a lot of affection.

Softly he said, "Allura?"

Allura nodded with a shaky smile, "Hello Lan-Casimir."

He would have questioned her about the slip up over his name, but he paused when he noticed the two were not alone. He recognized Coran beside the strangers, but four strangers dressed in Altean armor was disconcerting. They clearly weren't Altean, so why they were wearing the armor, it made no sense to him.

"Who are they? Why are they here," he asked hoarsely, his gaze found Allura's, "'Lura what's going?"

Allura hesitated, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Casimir frowned, he thought for a moment, "Father, he placed me in the pod- The Galra were here! They, they were trying to take the castle. They came for the lions, we have to protect them."

Casimir jumped to his feet causing Allura to move back, but not far enough that when Casimir fell she couldn't catch him. Uneasily he stood before her as she rose to her feet. However he couldn't stand long, all the energy he had left him in an instant and he fell forward.

Allura caught him, she supported his weight as she told him, "Casimir, it's alright. You're very weak right now. You must rest. For now we're safe, for now it's okay."

"No, it, it can't be right," Casimir spoke quickly, his eyes frantic and glazed over, "Voltron, the lions. Father, he said they had to run. He, he sent me away because of the danger. I was in a pod, I, we didn't say goodbye."

"It's okay, the Galra aren't here, we're safe, I promise," Allura told him.

Casimir inhaled shakily, he felt sick suddenly and wanted to pass out, his wish came true a moment later when his eyes closed without his permission and he collapsed against his sister. Allura exhaled was she caught him. Using her magic, she connected with his own and found that his energy was strong. He would be okay.

She brought her hands under his arms and stood with him. He barely responded, staying most limp in her arms aside from his arm wrapped haphazardly around her neck.

Allura turned around to face the paladins, all watching with mix-matched expressions ranging from sorrow to fear to anger.

* * *

 **A/N: Before everyone goes crazy, Lance won't be gone for long. Shiro's back, Matt and Keith's family have been located, what will happen next? A lot of fun stuff.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Yeah, really short update today, but got everything I wanted in this chapter and didn't want to just add a bunch of unnecessary stuff to make it longer. See a good deal of Casimir, though there are some hints about Lance here that could be useful later on. Let's see if you catch them. Thank you as always for the follows, favorites and the reviews, hope you guys have a great weekend and good luck to those starting school!**

 **Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

Eight hours had passed before Lance- Casimir woke up again. Allura has refused to leave his side the entire time and when his eyes fluttered open, she let out a relieved sigh. Her younger brother looked at her with a glossy gaze, his eyes were brighter than she remembered, but she supposed it had been such a long time ago. He watched her quietly for a moment, unsure of what to do or say to her.

"Hey," she whispered to him, "How are you feeling?"

Casimir groaned softly, "Okay I guess."

His head was pounding and he wanted to throw up if he was being honest, but for some reason he didn't feel like telling her that. There was something very, very wrong with the world he had woken up to. How he knew that, he truthfully didn't know, but he could feel it. Or rather, the teenager he saw before he woke up in Allura's arms had tried to tell him something. However he woke up too soon to hear what the teen had to say.

"Well, that's good," Allura told him, her hand gripping his.

Casimir eyed her hand curiously, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. They were not meant to show much affection to each other, in public or in private. Though their mother had broken the rule on a number of occasions with them, when she died the actions died with her and affection was only given when one was either incredibly sick or in distress.

"'Lura what's happened," he asked in a hoarse voice, "How long was I out? Who were those people with you? Where are the others, father and the Paladins?"

The younger altean watched as several emotions flickered across his sister's usually stoic face, whatever happened must have been something horrible. The castle was still in one piece, so that meant the Galra had failed in their attempt to take it, so he wanted to assume that meant the lions were safe. Should those lions fall to Zarkon's hands, things would truly be a nightmare of great proportions.

"L-Casimir, a lot's happened…" she said uneasily, she refused to meet his gaze as she continued, "I don't quite know how to tell you this brother, but… Altea, father, the Paladins are gone. Zarkon destroyed our home and took everyone away ten thousand years ago."

Casimir sputtered out a response, "Ten thousand? How is that possible? And what do you meant gone? Father must be in hiding or something."

"He's dead Cas, Altea and everyone on it is gone. Only myself, Coran and you remain," Allura told him, this time her eyes locked on his own.

Casimir could only stare at her, his eyes burning with tears. He wanted to call her a liar, wanted to tell her she was wrong and father had gotten away, but based on the tears shining in her own eyes, the graveness of her voice… His father was dead, his planet, all his people.

Shaking his head as the tears fell down his cheeks, he choked out, "No, no. Father can't be dead. We can't be all that's left."

"I'm so sorry Casimir," Allura said to him, her own eyes shining with the loss.

The nausea hit him much harder than before and he could not stop the vomit from leaving him, but he did turn away from her. Her hand was resting on his back immediately. A sob tore itself from his throat from the horrible feeling, from the pain in his chest, from it all.

And for the next half an hour, Casimir sobbed his heart out, calling, screaming for his father who couldn't hear him, begging his sister to tell him it wasn't true, wishing with everything he had this was all just a horribly bad dream. When all his strength had left his body, he collapsed in Allura's arms and fell into a fitful sleep. The sight of him so distressed and in so much pain was enough to break her heart even more.

This was how Shiro found her. Sitting haphazardly on the young prince's bed, holding him in her arms and running her fingers through his sweaty hair. The former black paladin stood in the doorway with a worried expression, but he didn't enter the room yet in case she wanted him gone. However when her eyes found his, he could tell she needed him here.

"Are you okay," he said softly her as he walked over to her.

Allura looked down at Casimir, "I told him what happened, how our father and world is gone, he didn't take it very well. Worse than I did."

Shiro nodded, "He is young. It's a lot to handle. But you didn't answer my question, are you alright?"

"No," Allura answered honestly, "No I'm not… we shouldn't talk about this here."

"You're right, let's head upstairs," Shiro said, he extended his flesh hand to her.

Allura blinked in surprise, "I, I, no. Shiro, I can't leave-"

"Coran can watch him while you get some rest," Shiro interrupted, his tone was soft with an underlining of his commanding voice.

Allura stared up at him for a moment before looking down at Casimir hesitantly. He would likely be asleep for awhile longer and it might do him some good to see Coran when wakes up, though she feared his reaction when he learns she isn't around.

"He'll be okay," Shiro assured her.

Allura released a tired sigh, she nodded and detangled herself from her brother's hold. Once he was settled, Allura followed Shiro out of the room, her hand in his own. However by the time she reached the end of the hallway, her footsteps stopped and she couldn't move anymore.

Shiro stumbled for a moment at her abrupt halt, he turned to look at Allura, a question ready on his tongue, only to stop when he saw her heartbreaking expression. Her head tilted down, eyes on the floor with tears slipping down her cheeks. Shiro hated seeing her like this.

"Casimir is back, but Lance is gone," Allura said softly, "It's as if I've lost him all over again. And you, you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again and now you're here. Then there's this comet that Lotor now has the comet, he's just as much a threat as Zarkon was. So much has happened and I, I'm frightened."

Shiro gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "It's an overwhelming time, with so many obstacles and challenges that we can see and others we can't see. But I know that you won't be facing them alone, all of us will be here to help you through it. It will be a long road, but we will stop Lotor and we will get Lance back."

Allura frowned at him, "Shiro, Lance will never come back. We couldn't stop it, how, how could we ever hope to get him back."

Shiro's smile was warm as he replied, "I by all intents and purposes was gone, dead you could say. Yet I'm still here. Lance, Keith and the others didn't give up on me, I won't give up on Lance. You shouldn't either."

"I thought he was dead since waking up," Allura said, her gaze far away, "I don't, I can't talk about this anymore."

Shiro nodded in understanding. He didn't understand exactly what she was going through, but Lance was important to him and would be missed. However the former black paladin wouldn't, couldn't give up on the hot shot pilot, who was eager to prove himself and determined to do the best he possibly could.

Things would sure be different without him, Shiro hoped they would find a way to bring him escorted Allura up to her room, though he didn't leave her side until she was asleep. The black paladin had just risen to his feet when her door opened to reveal the altean prince.

The boy peaked his head through the door, stark white hair and bright blue eyes. Casimir had woken up to find Coran in his room and was thrilled to see the advisor, his uncle in all sense of the word. Though Coran appeared hesitant, he answered any and all questions Casimir had, what had happened while he was gone, who those people were and more. It had been an overwhelming amount of information, he wanted to talk to Allura about what he learned and was surprised to see the new black, or former black paladin with her.

"Oh sorry," he said, he glanced from his sister to Shiro, "I didn't realize someone was with her. I'll come back-"

"Casimir," Allura said sitting up.

Casimir replied a bit hesitantly, "Hey Allura. I uh, I talked to Coran. He told me what, what's been going on. Uh Mr Shiro, can I have a moment alone with Allura?"

Shiro replied with a nod, "Of course. I'll just be out here."

As Shiro left the room, Casimir walked over to Allura's bed and stood beside her. The altean prince studied his sister for a moment, she looked tired and he felt that was his fault. Coran told him just about everything that happened, but there was so much there and it was hard for him to sort through alone. He needed her now, though he supposed it was selfish to bother her when he could just as well figure it out on his own.

"What is Cas," Allura asked as she sat up in her bed.

Casimir looked at his feet, "Coran told me everything that happened. I was sent away with the lions and ended up on earth."

Allura nodded, she took his hand in her own, "That's right. You grew up on earth, went by the name Lance."

"I forgot about Altea, about you and father," Casimir said softly, his gaze looked up to find hers, "I'm sorry 'Lura."

She squeezed his hand, "No, you have nothing to apologize for."

Casimir sniffed, "I have everything to apologize for."

"The last time I saw you, I was cold and heartless, I am the one who owes you an apology," Allura said, her grip on his hand tightened.

Casimir smiled weakly at her, "Yeah, you were pretty mean, but that's alright. Things were stressful… So, in other news I was the blue paladin. Though I recently started piloting the red lion, just like father and you took my lion."

"Yes, yes that's right," Allura said with a light laugh, "Would you like to meet them? The other paladins I mean."

Casimir rubbed the back of his neck, "I know I can't avoid it, but I am worried to meet them. They knew me as Lance, I don't remember him or any of them. Do you think they would even want to see me?"

Allura nodded, "They have been worried sick about you. I know they are eager to see you up again. While they did know Lance, you and him are not so different."

"I guess so… alright, let's go."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Ladies and Gents and whatnot, it is November which means Nanowrimo (National Writing Month) is underway. Every year I have particpated in writing a story, even getting 50,000 words, but this year I am doing fanfiction. I intend to get as much posted on my account as possible. I really want a post each day, but I am not confident of that happening because I know myself and I also don't want to make that promise and then not follow through. What this means for you guys is that my stories will be updated, though may not be plot driven and more filler without behind the scenes moments. That's not set in stone though, so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, that's my little update for you all, be on the look out for some other Voltron stuff as well ;)**

 **Thank you all for the follows, favs and reviews! The support for this story is great and I am glad you guys are enjoying it! Hope you all have a great day/night!**

 **Summary: Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen**

In silence they walked up to the lounge where the other paladins were. Casimir was… nervous. He couldn't say terrified, because he knew terror and this wasn't terrifying. Yet he still held on tightly to his sister's hand as if it were the only thing that kept him walking forward and in a way, that was true. He was exhausted, mentally, physically, emotionally. Even with Allura's explanation on what happened to him, he still could not remember the ordeal, but the effects were certainly in full swing on him now. Stomach upset, head still pounding, joints sore, his hearts aching. It was not the best time for him, though he guessed it made sense given the ordeal he had gone through.

"Allura," he said suddenly, "These new paladins."

"What about them," Allura asked as they walked on.

Casimir glanced at her, "They were civilians on earth. Would you consider them warriors now?"

The question caught Allura slightly off guard, but she had an answer in moments, "Yes. They are some of the bravest warriors I have ever met. They certainly didn't start out that way, but I am most proud of how they have each grown."

"Were you proud of me," Casimir asked, "Was I good warrior?"

Allura nodded, a small smile on her face, "I've never been more proud of you."

Casimir didn't return her smile, but she could tell the words meant a lot to him. A silence settled over them once more until they arrived to the doors where the paladins would be. Casimir's nerves shot through their bond, Allura just kept a firm grip on his hand in order to reassure him that everything would be okay. It seemed to do the trick. The royal siblings entered the room together, Casimir didn't release his sister's hand when all eyes fell to him. It was not the first time that all the eyes had been on him, he had been in front of many crowds before, but this was a bit different.

Everyone in this room knew him as someone else, as someone he didn't remember. Casimir straightened his shoulders, he stepped forward releasing Allura's hand though she seemed hesitant to let go. He understood the feel. Standing before the group, his back straight, hands behind his back, he cleared his throat. Altea may have fallen, but he was still the crown prince and must present himself as such.

"Hello everyone," Casimir said, he flashed his best smile and ignored the nauseous feeling, "Allura tells me I once knew you and that you know me as Lance. To each of you, he has fallen away and I have taken his place, though that is not my intention. I should hope you each keep Lance with you as he is still apart of me. I do hope to get to know you all once more as friends if you should have me."

It was strange for the paladins to see someone they know was Lance only for it to not be him at all. Though they each saw him return to his Altean state, it was still bizarre for him to be right in front of him and not the same boy they knew. However the difference was remarkably clear the way L-Casimir spoke and stood before them. He was not the goofy boy who was growing into a strong warrior, before them was a crown prince.

For Hunk it was jarring. He had been friends with Lance since middle school when they joined the Garrison, if not for the sickle marks and white hair, he looked right out of the past. In order to hold back his emotions, Hunk did his best to friend that it wasn't Lance at all. That it was just Allura's kid brother who he had never met and they rescued. Though by pretending that to be true, it made it hard to place Lance in that. Because Lance wasn't here, it was as if saying Lance had never existed or he died in the rescue. Neither sat well with the yellow paladin.

Still he smiled at the boy and stepped forward, "Of course we want to be your friends. Call me Hunk."

Casimir nodded his head with a grin, "Pleasure to meet you yellow paladin Hunk. May I have the rest of your names?"

Pidge stepped up next, "Call me Pidge."

"Hello Pidge," Casimir replied, "Is that your real name or is it your prefered one?"

Pidge smirked, though there was a sad look in her eyes, "You could call it prefered name."

Pirdge found it weird to see Casimir, but she knew there was nothing she could really do about that. Maybe if she had spent more time helping Coran on finding a solution, then Lance would still be here and not as this young prince. Perhaps there was a way for Lance to remember his life as Casimir without forgetting them, but because she wasn't looking hard enough, Lance was lost. The thoughts made her want to scream, but she forced herself to keep grinning at the prince. She wondered how he must be feeling at this moment, standing before a bunch of strangers claiming to know him as someone he doesn't remember. It must be bizarre and Pidge felt for him.

Casimir didn't say anything else after that. He turned his gaze towards the red dressed paladin who was leaning against a pillar, his head tilted down. Throughout this exchanged, he hadn't said a word or even acknowledged Casimir despite being well aware of the young Altean's presence. Casimir frowned at him. Worry tugged at him, what if the leader of the paladins refused to be his friend or even colleague. Would that mean the other paladins would no longer be his friend either?

Casimir shook the childish thoughts away, while he did want to be their friends, he knew friendships were not always what they seemed. Casimir was still the red paladin, he could feel the connection to the lion and the leader would need to accept that. It didn't mean they had to be friends, but they needed to rely on each other in the battle field. Voltron needed them as a unit. Annoyance replaced Casimir's concerns, he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his gaze at the red paladin.

"Black paladin," Casimir said, his tone sharp, "Will you introduce yourself to me or shall I refer to you as mullet head?"

"Casimir," Allura scolded sharply.

This caused the former red paladin to finally look at Casimir with an expression of pain and surprise. A slight sting of guilt hit Casimir, but he wasn't exactly sure why. The current leader of didn't say anything, he only stared at the prince for a few moments. He pushed himself off the wall and stalked over to the prince.

"Keith," warned Shiro with a worried look.

The black paladin named Keith did not glance his way. No, his violet eyes were focused on the Altean prince who used to be known as Lance McClain. Keith thought he could handle it, he thought that he would be able to brush it off and keep it moving. Yet when he heard the way this prince talked, he couldn't hear Lance in him. When he couldn't find traces of the red paladin in the child's voice anger and sorrow filled him and he refused to look at the boy. This wasn't Lance, this wasn't his right hand. He stared down at the young prince who didn't seem concerned or intimidated. However it there that Keith finally saw Lance in those Altean eyes, a flicker of the cuban teen.

"Welcome to team Voltron," Keith said curtly, "We train tomorrow at ten."

Casimir blinked in reply, but he nodded once, "Understood."

"Wait a minute," Coran said walking over, "Casimir continuing in the red lion's position is not gauranteed."

Keith looked to the red haired Altean, "What do you mean?"

Casimir crossed his arms over his chest, "I would also like to know."

"Casimir, you may have piloted the lion as Lance, but you were seventeen at the time, right now, you are barely thirteen of their years," Allura said as she joined Coran's side, "I am uncertain it would be wise to allow you fight on the front lines."

Casimir gaped at his sister, a little more than stunned at what she and Coran were saying. Voltron needed to be formed, he was the red lion and Voltron could not function without all five lions. If he didn't fly, then who would?

"You cannot be serious," Casimir said in surprise.

Allura replied shortly, "I most certainly am serious. You are not of age to fight in a war."

Casimir rolled his eyes, "With a war raging across the galaxy, I am certain we can make an exception."

It was Shiro who spoke next, coming to the Altean's aid. While Casimir had been unconcious, they had all spoken on about the next steps for Voltron considering one of their pilots was… a child again. Allowing a child to fight in war not something that any of them wanted to do. Pidge and Hunk had not been included in the conversation, Keith had been there, but did not care. He believed Casimir would be fine. All of them were too young to be fighting in this war, what was adding one more to the list?

"While that may be, you are the youngest member and should not be fighting," Shiro told the prince, "We have five pilots and can still form Voltron without having to cross that line."

Casimir glared, but said nothing. Now he understood. Shiro would take the black lion and Keith would take the red one, leaving Casimir to remain on the ship and operate the castle with Coran. Anger pulsed through his veins, he was not about to give this up yet. However much to his surprise, the hand of the current black paladin rested on his shoulder.

"While your concerns are valid, nothing is decided," Keith said, his tone cold.

Hunk frowned, "They have a point Keith."

Keith spoke, his annoyance hidden, "Casimir may be new, but Allura has told of us of his abilities in combat and piloting. Tomorrow at training, he will have a chance to prove himself and if he is unable to handle it, then I will return to the red lion. However we will not strip the red lion away from due to him shirnking in size."

"It was more than shrinking in size," Allura hissed.

Keith narrowed his eyes, "I'm well aware the complexities that are in this situation. If Casimir is capable of piloting, then he remains the red paladin. If he feels he is not ready or it is obvious he cannot handle it, then adjustments will be made. Until then, he is still the red paladin. End of discussion."

And without another word, Keith left the room with an air of finality. Shiro and Allura went after the current black paladin, but the altean prince was not focused on them. Casimir watched Keith leave go with a mix of surprise and… joy wasn't the right word, but he was certainly pleased with this outcome. Tomorrow would be his chance tp prove he was more than capable of piloting the red lion despite the circumstances. He clenched his hands into fists, he would show them exactly what he was capable of.


End file.
